1,837kg dates of different types, 826kg honey and 35.5kg beeswax sold out during the 9-day Honey and Dates Festival at Al Mazrouah Yard

The Honey and Dates Festival at Al Mazrouah Yard was organised by the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality from December 29, 2022 until January 7, 2023. The festival sold 2,698kg honey and dates and attracted a large number of customers during nine days of its operations. A total of 1,837kg dates of different types, 826kg honey and 35.5kg beeswax were sold out during the festival.

The Honey and Dates Festival was organised at Al Mazrouah Yard (popularly known as vegetable market) to support local farms by promoting their produce in a bid to diversify their source of income. As many as 30 local farms participated in the festival.

On this occasion, Youssef Khalid Al Khulaifi, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality, said that a number of Qatari farms producing local honey participated in this event, after the yards for agricultural product achieved great success in terms of promoting local products. He said that the festival contributed in introducing the quality of local natural honey products. 

Al Khulaifi said the honey festival attracts a large number of customers, which contributes to supporting the Ministry’s efforts to advance the field of honey bees in Qatari farms within the national project for local honey production. Ahmed Salem Al Yafei, Head of Guidance and Agricultural Services Department, said that 30 Qatari farms participated in the honey festival.

He stressed that among the objectives of the festival is to encourage farms to expand their activities and beekeeping for the production of honey, which contributes to their development and increase their financial return.

Local farms have been receiving tremendous supports by the Ministry of Municipality to enhance their products to raise self-sufficiency rate of the country in vegetables, dates and honey. Three types of honey is produced in Qatar – Sidr, Samur and Al Rabi according to the seasonal flowers. Sidr honey, which is being produced in large quantity in Qatar, has the highest demand locally.

The Agricultural Affairs Department is running a programme to develop beekeeping activity in the country within the national project for honey bees, to help farms increase and diversify their income.