Al-Ahsa Farmers Celebrate Date Harvest Season
Al-Ahsa, September 21, 2026, SPA -- Each year, farmers in Al-Ahsa Oasis celebrate the "Date Harvest Season," gathering dates, the oasis's most prominent agricultural crop, long closely associated with the lives of local residents and a contributor to agricultural activity in the region for decades.
As this year's harvest season gets underway, dates are sorted according to their quality, size, and color following a year of hard work in caring for and tending the palms. The season provides a source of income for some farmers through cutting date bunches from the palms, sorting, cleaning, and grading the dates, among other activities.
The Date Harvest Season forms part of an integrated agricultural cycle that begins with caring for the palm trees, irrigation, fertilization, pollination, and pest control, followed by selecting the appropriate time to harvest and continuing through sorting, packaging, storage, processing, and marketing.
The season is closely linked to the oasis's history, economy, and social identity.
Palm trees are an integral part of Al-Ahsa's agricultural environment, while dates are a food and economic product that has contributed to enhancing the region's standing within Saudi Arabia's farming landscape.
King Faisal University Professor of Food Science and Nutrition Nashi Khalid Al-Qahtani said the season reflects the interconnected nutritional, economic, and social dimensions of dates. He noted that sustainable palm cultivation requires the continued development of farming, irrigation, and harvesting methods while preserving inherited farming expertise that forms an integral part of Al-Ahsa's agricultural identity.
The palm and date sector is one of the areas where scientific research intersects with agricultural practice.
Sustainable production is linked to efficient water and soil management, the development of farming and irrigation techniques, and the use of farmers' accumulated expertise alongside modern technologies.
-- SPA
