Saudi date exports soar by more than two thirds in Q1

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia exported 142,000 tons of dates worth SR527 million ($140.53 million) in the first quarter of 2021, a year-on-year increase of 67.3 percent, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

Date exports from the Kingdom have increased over the last few years, from 48,000 tons worth SR222 million in Q1 2018, to 85,000 tons worth SR397 million in Q1 2020.

The CEO of the National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD), Dr. Mohammed bin Al-Nowairan, last month said the center was working with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to expand the sector and establish the Kingdom as the world’s first source for dates.

The industry has become one of the Kingdom’s most important export sectors, with Saudi producers exporting dates to 107 countries last year, according to a report by the NCPD.

Saudi Arabia’s 157 date factories produce around 1.5 million tons of dates each year, making it the second-largest producer in the world.

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