In Yemen, dates provide lifeline for farmers with few economic options

Hajr, Yemen – Under the scorching sun of eastern Yemen’s Hadramout region, locals – young and old – immerse themselves in the annual date harvest, working among dark mounds of freshly harvested fruit spread across stones.

Farmers here in Hajr, about two hours west of Hadramout’s provincial capital of Mukalla, picked the dates about a week ago from vast palm groves nearby. They then brought them to this open ground so the dates can be dried, cleaned, and eventually sold, following traditional techniques that have endured for centuries.

Nabeel Ahmed and his family arrive before sunrise and head directly to their spot on the rocky ground, where their dates are spread out.

“My wife, my brothers and I come here before sunrise and stay until the sun gets hot,” Nabeel tells Al Jazeera, as he runs his hands through a pile of dates and holds up a handful.

Farmers and their families return every day to turn and sort the dates, removing rotten or damaged fruit before preparing the harvest for sale. Their aim is to make the dates as attractive as possible to buyers.

“These rocky grounds are used to spread out the dates, clean them, and sell them to customers,” Nabeel says.

As the farmers work, buyers move between the piles, inspecting the fruit in search of good-quality dates at the lowest possible prices. Nabeel is fortunate: someone eventually agrees to buy some of his harvest.

“I harvest the dates and sell some of them, while keeping some for my family to eat. I put some into small bags for Ramadan and other days. We usually eat dates with coffee every day. This is my sole source of income,” he says, pointing to small bags filled with dates.