Makkah

MADINAH is well-known for its date palm trees since time immemorial. We can see a large number of palm trees in different parts of the region. In the past, Madinah was known as a valley of date palms between two highlands. The migration of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions to Madinah enhanced its significance.

There are more than 70 varieties of dates in Madinah including what can be eaten fresh. The most eaten is tamar, which is the finest and most expensive. Date is a fruit full of vitamins and contains minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium and sulfur. It also contains several vitamins, as well as easily digestive sugars. It has many health benefits.

The government has recently approved the establishment of the Cooperative Society for Dates in Madinah and it is hoped that it will have a tangible impact on all matters related to dates including its agriculture, economic aspects, marketing and export.

I had wished that experts who work on developing the country’s Umrah economy would pay attention to Madinah’s date industry to create more employment opportunities for Saudis. We should also establish high-tech labs and workshops to examine the quality of dates.

This will definitely lead to the establishment of a stock market for dates and setting up of advanced date-manufacturing factories and marketing companies, and thus changing the present status of what is now known as refrigerators of dates.

I wonder about the role of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in the process of developing and preserving palm trees, encouraging expansion and supporting its farmers and exporters. I don’t see the ministry’s active involvement to strengthen the dates industry in Madinah.

There is a need to establish a full-fledged market for dates because the situation of the present date market in the city is shameful. I visited the market recently and saw its despicable situation in terms of space, possibilities, display of dates and ambience. The market’s condition is closer to a wild place while sales are conducted in a primitive way.

Some farmers complained about the poor condition of the dates industry in Madinah and threatened that they would quit this age-old profession, which they inherited from forefathers if the authorities did not take effective measures to protect farmers and strengthen the industry.

I was surprised to witness the lukewarm attitude of the Municipality, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage toward date palm industry in Madinah. Their absence is clearly evident in the form of a temporary date market, which is in a disgraceful situation. The market is located close to the Prophet's Mosque.

A research chair was established at the University of Taibah about two years ago to conduct studies on Ajwa dates. It was the first chair to discuss Ajwa and its products, but so far we have not seen any tangible results. We were expecting that the chair would organize seminars and conferences to discuss about Ajwa’s content and health benefits but none of this happened. I believe that the activities of the chair at King Saud University in Riyadh for conducting research on palm trees and dates are much better than that of the Taibah chair, which did not make any significant contribution.

The question is why have the authorities failed to organize date festivals in Madinah considering its economic importance. The millions of pilgrims and worshippers who visit Madinah every year will be keen to purchase its dates, whatever the price. But we don’t see any move to hold date festivals in Madinah while the endeavors to establish a modern date market in the city have turned fruitless.

Madinah dates have a great economic significance. It can constitute one of the pillars of the national economy if given proper attention and care. More than 30 million people, mostly Haj and Umrah pilgrims, visit the city every year. The present date market situation does not augur well with this huge number of consumers who come from different parts of the world.

Expatriate workers now control the market and the authorities have not taken any action to reorganize the market considering its economic importance. We hope the authorities would establish an excellent date market in Madinah and organize a global date festival in the city every year. I believe it would contribute to strengthening the Kingdom’s date market and economy.