Dubai, UAE — The ongoing Taif rose season in Saudi Arabia, which starts at the beginning of March and last for 45 days, fills the city with fragrance and the bright-colored flowers attract rose lovers and perfume makers from the kingdom and abroad.
The visitors take part in the activities of the “Taif Rose Festival”, held annually during its harvest season to introduce the culture of roses and their various by-products. The festival is now an integral part of Taif.
The season is not restricted to celebrations and cultural events only, but impacts the local economy, constituting an important economic resource that contributes to supporting local businesses.
The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Programme provides investment opportunities that eventually boost the Taif rose industry and help increase the cultivation area of these flowers and that, in return, will increase their contribution to the GDP.
Investment in Taif roses in the Saudi market has reached more than SAR64 million ($17 million) as rose farms in the Sarawat Mountains in Taif Governorate harvest about 550 million roses annually.
A basket at the Taif Rose Festival entered the Guinness World Records as the largest basket of roses in the world, containing 84,540,000 roses of 26 finest types.
More than 910 farms of Taif roses are spread in Taif governorate. About 70 rose factories and laboratories extract and manufacture more than 80 rose derivatives, mostly used for manufacturing perfume and body care products, and these enjoy wide popularity in the markets.