Children show dates during the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival in Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, on Nov. 11, 2021. During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors. The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
BAHARIYA OASIS, Egypt, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Dates growers and exporters in Egypt's Bahariya Oasis, southwest of capital Cairo, have an opportunity to market their products through a three-day festival organized by the Giza Governorate.
During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors.
Egypt, the world's largest date palm producer, organizes such festivals across the country to market and promote its date palm products.
The Bahariya Oasis of Giza, located some 365 km southwest of Cairo, is home to more than two million date palm trees. Most of its residents work in the date palm industry as growers and exporters.
The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday.
"The festival is very important for us," Ayamn Adel, owner of a company for sorting, packing and exporting dates, told Xinhua. "It is a new promising platform for our products."
He noted that thousands of visitors, including foreign investors, have visited the festival, adding that the event represents "a good chance for producers to sign new contracts with foreign and domestic companies."
Adel, whose company produces around 50 tons of dates per week, expressed his hope that the festival would be held annually to help producers open new markets in Egypt and abroad.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdel-Kafy, who has been in the business for 15 years, said the festival not only helps him market his products, but also allows him to exchange expertise with others in the industry.
"The gathering is important in many aspects ... we meet people who can provide us with new information and technologies about cultivating, sorting and packing dates," Abdel-Kafy told Xinhua.
The middle-aged man, who exports all his date products to Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, hoped that he can soon enter the Chinese market, especially amid the growing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
"The Chinese market is big and promising ... it is a dream for all date palm companies to export their products to China and I hope I could make it soon," Abdel-Kafy said.
Egypt seeks to achieve comprehensive development in the date palm sector. There are 14 million date palm trees in Egypt now, and the government plans to increase the number to 24 million, the official statistics said.
The Egyptian market consumes one quarter of its annual dates production, while the rest is exported to dozens of countries.
The event aims to support the dates sector in Egypt, mainly in the Bahariya Oasis, Ahmed Rashed, governor of Giza, said during his visit to the festival.
"The Bahariya Oasis has 37 factories and packing stations specialized in dates production, making the industry the most important source of income for the oasis residents," the governor pointed out.
The official noted that the festival is a good start for dates producers to attract investors, adding that the oasis produces various kinds of high-quality dates that meet international standards. Enditem
Dates are seen at a booth during the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival in Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, on Nov. 11, 2021. During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors. The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
A child tastes a date during the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival in Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, on Nov. 11, 2021. During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors. The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
People buy dates during the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival in Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, on Nov. 11, 2021. During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors. The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
An exhibitor arranges dates during the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival in Bahariya Oasis, Giza, Egypt, on Nov. 11, 2021. During the first edition of the International Bahariya Oasis Date Palm Festival, some 80 exhibitors of date palm products showcased their goods to thousands of visitors. The festival kicked off Thursday and will run till Saturday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
