Date harvest of 2002
Text and pictures by Abdullah Ibrahim Al Shuhi
The season promises to be very good this year (2002) because northern Oman has not been affected by the drought that hit other parts of the date farming regions of the country.
The harvest of dates has begun in earnest in a number of places in the Batinah, Interior and Dhahirah region, as farmers scramble to get their first crops to market. There are indications that the date crop this year will be a bumper one compared with the previous year, thanks to several months of hot and dry weather — the ideal environment for a healthy crop — that prevailed in most of the date-growing regions of the Sultanate. Afy, in the Wilayat of Wadi Al Maawil, is one of the key centres of the local date trade. It is a major catchment area for the date harvests of Rostaq, Nakhal, Wadi Sahtan, Wadi bani Auf, Barka, Wadi Bani Kharus and other date growing areas of north Oman.
At weekends, farmers, buyers and self-styled auctioneers throng the local souq to take part in a post-lunch frenzy of date selling and buying. Business is brisk, with an estimated three tonnes of dates traded every day. The dates are trucked to markets elsewhere in the Sultanate, as well as to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. Khamis bin Juma al Hinai is an auctioneer by profession, offering his services to whoever is looking for quick deal on their personal holdings, be it, a vehicle, residential plot or farm produce. The 55-year-old veteran auctioneer, however, prefers the thriving date business as the income through commissions is attractive and consistent over the three-month date-selling season. "The season promises to be very good this year because northern Oman has not been affected by the drought that hit other parts of the date farming regions of the country," says Al Hinai. "Farmers are also rushing to get the best deal for their produce, especially as the price of dates quickly settles at the seasonal average of 500 baisas/kg, from a high of RO 20 per kg at the start of the season a few weeks ago."
While a large part of the trade in dates involves direct deals between farmers and buyers, a significant part is handled by professional auctioneers. The latter receive a pre-agreed margin on the returns. At Afy at the weekend, nagal dates dominated the trade. Farmers expect a surge in fortunes when the superior and delicious khalas hits the market in about two weeks. The yield of a khalas date palm tree can fetch as much as RO 120 for the farmer, says Al Hinai. The traditional tabseel season, involving the cooking of mebselli dates in earthen hearths and then spreading them out to dry, .....begins next month. The tabseel harvest is mainly exported to India.
Oman Observer 29th June 2002
