Ramzan’s enduring date with dates grows stronger every year

Khajoor, or dates, are to Ramzan what sewaiyan, or vermicelli, are to Eid festivities. No matter how rich or poor, Muslims mandatorily break their fast in the holy month with dates. No other month sees the sale of this modest fruit —fresh or dried, grown mostly in the dry lands of the Middle East and Africa— more than in Ramzan. Dates are imported to India from around eight countries, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, and Israel-Palestine. Mumbai, having huge ports and being India's financial capital, receives a substantial chunk of cargos carrying dates, with Mundra in Gujarat being another major port for khajoor's import. From the ports, khajoor is transported to Delhi and other landlocked states in the country.
"Out of around three lakh tons of dates which are annually imported in India, the majority are consumed in Ramzan," said Yaqub Gazi, a wholesaler at APMC market, Vashi. Gazi, who also has retail shops in the city and Indore, says his family's been in this business for a century. Breaking the Ramzan fast with dates is rooted in prophetic traditions. Prophet Muhammad is believed to have said: "When one of you breaks his fast, let him break it with dates, for they are blessed. If they are not found, let him break it with water, for water is pure." No wonder, the fasts are universally broken with dates, followed by water or sherbet.
"We cannot think of an iftar dish without dates in it. It is on the plate of every rozedar everywhere in the world," says Mumbai Central resident and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sajid Supariwala. So, when Ramzan gift hampers are prepared, dates have to find its place. From those returning after Umrah in Ramzan to the office of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohras, khajoor is an intrinsic part of the gifts they send out.
There are over 2,000 types of dates, with Kalmi, Ajwain, and Muzafati being most popular. "These dates are priced from Rs 40/kg from Iraq to Rs 4,000/kg from Jordan. It is difficult to say how big this market is in India," says Gazi.
Apart from its religious importance, dates have nutritional value, too. They are rich in iron and boost immunity. This is why the consumption of dates, in months other than Ramzan, has increased. "Doctors and nutritionists during the pandemic began prescribing dates to increase immunity," says Rizwan Batatawala, who owns a date godown in Mazgaon and several shops in the city, including one at Nana Chowk in Grant Road. "The success of my store at Nana Chowk shows how more and more people are increasingly consuming dates," he adds.