A launch ceremony was held at Al-Ahsa Heritage Castle in the presence of Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr.

The festival was organized by Al-Ahsa Municipality in cooperation with the Eastern Province Development Authority and Al-Ahsa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Nayef praised the achievements of the festival, stressing that transforming the fruit from a popular agricultural item into an economic and investment product is a major success for Al-Ahsa in particular, as well as the Kingdom in general, as the process has had a positive impact on national gross domestic product.

He added that the Al-Ahsa Processed Dates Marketing Festival will also help develop Al-Ahsa’s tourism sector.

Essam Al-Mulla, mayor of Al-Ahsa, praised the “generous support” provided by the Eastern Province and Al-Ahsa governors, whose sponsorship led to achieving the festival’s goals by enhancing the marketing and competitive quality of date products.

Al-Mulla said that the municipality is also hosting informative events focusing on palm trees and dates. The festival will feature more than 40 local handicraft stores in addition to food trucks.