About six new investors will join the manufacturing sector of dates in the oasis by establishing specialized factories with investments totaling SR50 million, says Muhammad Ismail, director general of the King Abdullah City for Dates (KACD) in Al-Ahsa.

Ismail said the 20-day Waya Al-Tamor Ahla 2016 (Sweeter with dates 2016) festival, organized by Al-Ahsa Mayoralty at the International Exhibitions Center in Hofuf, achieved most of its economic objectives by attracting new investments from inside and outside Al-Ahsa.

"The festival is a clear indication of the prosperity and development of the markets for dates and their related manufacturing industries. This in turn will help farmers, traders, investors and industrialists achieve better financial returns. Thus, aside from focusing on product development, a good competitive atmosphere in production processes will be created.

Ismail said that the organizing committees of this year's festival used modern media in the marketing of the festival's details, including the hosting of celebrities in snapchat from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to visit Al-Ahsa, and show the events directly across the Gulf, targeting more than half a million followers in the GCC states.

Meanwhile, Al-Ahsa Mayor Adel Al-Mulhim revealed that a new project for roads in the industrial area dedicated to the establishment of factories for dates at KACD will be implemented in the coming days. This tends to confirm the completion of the engineering and technical designs for the factories, along with finishing the charts for all industrial area sites, in preparation for the initiation of land distribution to traders, investors and manufacturers.