Buyers spoilt for choice as 78 varieties of yummy dates arrive in City

As the Muslim holy month of Ramzan began earlier this week, believers across the City had yet another reason to break their dawn-to-dusk fast with the nutritious, mouth-watering sweet fruit.

At least 78 varieties of the fruit have arrived at the historic Russell Market. Of them, at least 11 are new ones.

But the scrumptious dates have not tempted Muslims alone. Non-Muslims find this staple fruit of West Asia equally yummy.

This year, dates have been imported from Jordan, South Africa, Iran, Tunisia, Medina (Saudi Arabia), Baghdad and other places in West Asia. Prices range from Rs 150 to a whopping Rs 5,000 per kg.

The varieties are so many that buyers have been spoilt for choice. From the sugarless dates to the honey-filled ones.

Among those much in demand is Medjoul King, a sugarless date variety from South Africa, which costs Rs 1,800 per kg. Ajwa, the seedless date filled with honey, almond, saffron and cardamom, is also tempting the buyers.

Among the varieties available in the market are Mariyam and Kesar from Iran, Mabroom from Baghdad, Kalmi, Safawi, Khudri, Sukri from Madina (Saudi Arabia), Jordan valley dates from Jordan and Tunisian dates from Tunisia.

Nutritional value

Doctors regularly recommended dates given their nutritional value. A variety named Sugai is known to help in calcium deficiency in the body, while Khudri dates help purify the blood, said a dry fruit merchant.

Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, owner of Delicious Dates store and general secretary of Russell Market Merchants’ Association, said the demand for dates had shot up significantly.
Traders in big commodity markets across India place orders for dates with foreign merchants, and huge consignments of the fruit arrive in the country within a week.

During Ramzan, many date-producing countries slash export duty as the sweet fruit is distributed to orphanages, madrasas and mosques.

Another merchant in Russell Market said that most buyers were non-Muslims who preferred dates for their health benefits.

For Muslims, breaking the fast with dates is not only a tradition but also helpful in giving strength and energy to individuals who give without food and water for almost 15 hours.