Saudi Gazette report

MADINAH — More than 30 young Saudis are going through their first experience as businessmen by starting their own projects at the Madinah International Date Festival. They will be selling dates in the retail market after purchasing it first from the festival’s wholesale market.

The young traders will use a special hall that was prepared for them at the festival venue to start their business career in this sector.

The date market in Madinah receives an estimated 260 tons of produce annually from 3.5 million date palms in the region.

The head of the dates sector in Madinah, Muhammad Al-Luhaibi, said these young Saudis are ambitious. They have decided to work hard and seek an honest job in the date market, he said while calling on the Madinah community and visitors to the city to visit the festival and support the young men by buying dates from them.

He said, “Madinah dates are high in quality and famous worldwide. It is enough that the fruit came from this holy place.”

Al-Luhaibi said the date sector in Madinah is witnessing a positive transformation.

The festival is located on the second ring road and covers a space of 150,000 square meters. The experience is encouraging so far, according to Al-Luhaibi, who said that the sales volume is quite high.

Economic expert Abdul Ghani Al-Ansari said what is required of Madinah residents is to support the young traders by visiting the festival. He said date products from Saudi Arabia, especially from Madinah, are marketed in more than 30 countries around the world.