The Date Palm Tree Festival, a four-day event celebrating dates along with palm-derived food and handicrafts, kicked off at the Farmers Market in Hoorat A’ali yesterday.
The sixth edition of the annual event, Khairat Al Nakhla (Palm Tree Bounties), will run until Saturday, from 8am to 5pm.
It was inaugurated by National Initiative for Agriculture Development (NIAD) secretary-general Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) chief executive Dalal Al Qais and other officials.
In addition to the variety of dates on sale at the event, the festival also offers different kinds of foods made with dates, like cakes, sweets, ice cream, milk shakes, juice, jam, pickles and sweetener, as well as coffee made with the pit of the date.
Veteran artisans and very young crafters alike can be seen making products with palm fronds, like ropes, cages, baskets, fish traps and furniture.
“We are proud of the efforts of our farmers, and we are proud that their excellent goods bear the ‘Made in Bahrain’ label,” Shaikha Maram told the GDN on the sidelines of the inauguration.
“Year after year, I have noticed great development in this event, and have noted the participants’ dedication to presenting the best products they can, and their innovation of new offerings.”
View this post on Instagram
A booth of the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry’s Palm and Fruit Tree Department showcased different kinds of date palm fruits, locally known as ‘retab’ along with palm tree shoots.
The booth displayed the tools used in maintaining the tree, like sickle, along with gear used to climb the trees, which have been used by Bahraini farmers for centuries.
Ministry horticulturist Ali Al Ekri, who is specialised in tracking and preserving lineages of date palm trees, explained to the GDN how the trees are grown, propagated, pollinated and harvested.
“The difference between the various kinds of dates is the sugar content, minerals, taste, colour, even the size,” the botanist stated.
“Varieties differ with maturity periods; they are harvested between May and November, with some kinds going up to December. The season begins with ‘gharrah’, which is the first variety ready to go to the market.
“The most popular kind of date in Bahrain, which is also number one in the Gulf coast region, is ‘khalas’. Some people like ‘khanaizi’ because it’s tastier and sweeter.”
Other varieties showcased at the booth include ‘barhi’, ‘shishi’ and ‘khawaja’.
Mr Al Ekri showcasing the types of ‘retab’, or fresh dates
Mr Al Ekri also demonstrated non-fertilised dates, named ‘shees’, and the booth also had an example of diseased date fruits, which are plagued with spiders that eat the fruits and leave them in a bad state.
More than 50 farmers, small businesses and productive families are taking part in the festival.
Live crafting was a prominent part of the festival, with basket weavers and potters showcasing their trades. The event’s mascot, ‘Khalasi’, also made an appearance.
On top of interactive handicraft workshops for children, the event is also hosting a cultural competition about how to make a hiya biya, a custom related to Eid Al Adha.
Cheerful basket weaver Abdulredha Abu Helal, who runs a shop in Capital Mall, demonstrated his craft at the festival, accompanied by a number of young apprentices.
The festival also aims to showcase the permanent Farmers Market, which remains open year-round and offers residents, citizens and visitors a chance to buy produce and local products directly from entrepreneurs.
“The festival fosters healthy competition among farmers and encourages agricultural investment, thereby supporting the diversification of the local economy,” Ms Al Qais told the GDN.
“At Bahrain Development Bank, we remain committed to promoting the sustainability of agricultural production and to creating opportunities for innovation and growth in this vital sector.”
Bahrain has long been known as the ‘land of a million palm trees’, as a large portion of the country was covered in thick palm tree forests, but the number of trees has severely dwindled due to urbanisation, deforestation and drying up of groundwater.
In an effort to mitigate this, the NIAD launched the Forever Green initiative in 2021, a nationwide afforestation campaign to plant more than 50,000 trees and shrubs.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))