Dates are making acomeback in the international market. Gulf countries, till now solely relianton oil exports, are seeking todiversify into agriculturalindustries through the use ofmodern horticultural andfood -processing techniques.Omanis are taking renewedinterest in dates, which is thelargest agricultural productof the country. The agricultural ministry of Oman has Idepartment of date research.It has hired internationalconsultants to study methods for largescale plantationof datepalm trees.
Now, dates are beingmarketed in various formslike date syrup and 'dateflakes'. A company has identified 92 uses for dates,including fudge, vinegar,spaghetti sauce, steak sauce,liquid and even a coffee substitute made from roasteddate pits. Datepaln , thrivein Oman's coastal area anddesert oases. Once the country's major exports, dates fellinto neglect during the oilboom of the '70s and '80s.