Namibian khalas hits market

Desert Fruit Namibia (DFN), one of only a limited number of date producers in the southern hemisphere, has begun to harvest Khalas – a new product line and staple for date growers in the Middle East. The beginning of February will see the first exports via airfreight delivered to the customers in the Far East and Middle East with expectations that the season would last for another six to eight weeks. The managing director of DFN, Seth Holmes, says the company is confident that the date will make an impact in the market. “Traditionally, Khalas is a staple in the date markets as a naturally dried date. We have been able to develop this date as a fresh and ruthab variant. The intense heat, dry conditions and granite soils of southern Namibia have allowed the fruit to develop high sugars and a caramel flavour. This has proven a winning recipe as we are getting orders from the fresh date markets as an alternative to the traditional fresh varietal, barhi which is set to come off the trees in the next three weeks,” Holmes says. Photo Contributed