{
  "id": 1339369,
  "title": "Local date growers expand production to boost self-sufficiency",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/local-date-growers-expand-production-to-boost-self-sufficiency",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-15T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf Times",
    "slug": "gulf-times",
    "url": "https://www.gulf-times.com/article/731233/qatar/local-date-growers-expand-production-to-boost-self-sufficiency"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Qatari date growers are expanding their cultivated areas and boosting production to enhance self-sufficiency. The country currently sustains around 75% self-sufficiency in dates, with expansion expected to further increase domestic production. This growth is fueled by rising consumer demand, evolving preferences, and growing interest in new date varieties.\n\nThe Local Dates Festival, held at Eastern Square of Souq Waqif, drew approximately 110,000 visitors and generated total sales of 183,268kg of fresh dates. Various date varieties, such as Khalas, Shishi, Khenaizi, and Barhi, dominated sales, with Khalas leading at 78,194kg. The festival's success has encouraged farmers to increase cultivation.\n\nFarm owner Ali al-Henzab revealed that his farm currently consists of around 1,000 date palms and plans to plant 600 new offshoots, including 200 of each Khalas, Shishi, and Rziz varieties. He emphasized that the expansion goes beyond merely increasing the number of trees, as it involves selecting high-quality varieties and improving production quality. Al-Henzab also noted that offshoots from top-quality mother palms yield better results than those grown from seeds. He identified water salinity, soil conditions, and local climate as key challenges, but stressed that farmers are addressing them through proper agricultural practices and technical support.\n\nDate growers receive government support, which includes agricultural inputs and initiatives to promote and purchase locally produced goods. Farmer Yousef al-Taher, for instance, planted 300 new date-palm offshoots last year to increase his farm's output and contribute to national production. He stressed the growing importance of quality amid rising cultivation and production costs and called for more focus on developing external markets for Qatari dates.\n\nAnother farmer, Hamad al-Kuwari, pointed out that growers are introducing new date varieties alongside traditional ones to adapt to changing consumer tastes. His farm now cultivates popular varieties like Helwa Dubai, Barhi, Medjool, and Umm Al Dahan, in addition to other choices that generated strong interest during the Local Dates Festival. Al-Kuwari expects local farms to meet around 85% of domestic demand for fresh and dried dates next year, with full self-sufficiency potentially attainable within three years if expansion and productivity improvements continue. This expansion is part of Qatar's broader strategy to enhance domestic agricultural production and food security, with government programs providing support to local farmers.",
  "summary": "Local date palm farmers are expanding cultivated areas and increasing the production capacity for fresh and dried dates as demand for locally grown produce continues to rise.Several farmers noted that...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}