Timed with the approach of Ramadan this year, the dates festival in Buraidah, north of Riyadh, has netted nearly SR1.7 billion in sales from about 1.5 million visitors and 40 dates and sweets companies over the last two months. The festival, which is the largest for dates market in the Middle East, has offered around 45 percent of the total production of dates in the Qassim region while 55 percent of the production sold through direct sales at the palm farms. The festival business has slowed down for the last week of Ramadan, but it is expected to pick up steam with Eid, said Khalid Al-Nuqaidan, head of the festival committee. The festival will remain open until November.
