Doha, Qatar: The ninth Souq Waqif Local Dates Exhibition for the year 2024 will open on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, with more than 100 specialised farms participating in the 12-day exhibition. 
 
Organized by Souq Waqif in cooperation with the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality, in the eastern square of Souq Waqif, the exhibition will continue until August 3, 2024, and will see wide participation from local farms. 

The organization of this exhibition comes within the framework of the interest that Qatar attaches to supporting and encouraging local production of all national products, including dates, and with the aim of supporting efforts aimed at achieving food security, and in the interest of developing the agricultural sector, including date palms. 

Director of Souq Waqif Mohammed Abdullah Al-Salem confirmed that the venue is prepared with all necessary facilities for the exhibition. The air-conditioned tent in which the exhibition will be held will open its doors to the public every day from 4pm to 9pm, except on Friday when it will remain open until 10pm. He confirmed that the market is keen to organize this exhibition annually to support local farms, given that Souq Waqif is distinguished as a prominent and important heritage and tourism destination for citizens, residents, and tourists alike, in addition to its distinguished location in the center of Doha, which makes access to it easy for everyone.

He explained that the current edition also will witness wide participation from local farms with all types of date products that are produced locally, in addition to the sale of date extracts.

Al Salem added that the Souq Waqif Dates Exhibition has a great reputation, as the sales of the previous edition witnessed a record number of 220 tonnes, and this year it is expected to exceed this number due to the high quality of Qatari dates.

Yousef Khaled Al-Khulaifi, Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality, stated that the exhibition, which is being held in its ninth season, aims to promote date production and introduce its various types, in addition to encouraging local farm owners to sell their dates directly to the public. 

The organizing committee also set a set of requirements for participation in the exhibition, which include that the dates must be good, clean, and free of infestations, insects, and impurities. A team of specialists from the Agricultural Affairs Department will also take samples of the wetlands of the participating farms for examination and analysis in order to ensure that they are free of toxic substances and residual traces of pesticides.