Abdullah Al Rushud

RIYADH: Dates are considered one of the most significant cultural food products on the Arabian Peninsula. Throughout history, they have consistently been placed on the breakfast tables of local citizens as an important source of nutrition.

On Dec. 16-20, the 2^nd International Date Exhibition was held in Riyadh, where leading date producing groups participated. The purpose of the exhibition is to improve the efficiency of date farming and industrial practices, as well as generating economic profits.

Recently, consumption of dates has not been limited to local communities. Rather, the people of Saudi Arabia have been exporting dates internationally to 107 countries. The marketing of dates has led to active partnerships between local communities and other countries, and growers are stepping up their production in order to tap various global markets.

The country has more than 33 million palm trees, more than 123,000 farms, and 157 date processing plants. These include various industries, such as foodstuffs, healthcare, cosmetics, and construction, which actively contribute to the palm tree and date sector.

Arabic countries account for 89% of the world’s date production, and date exports increased 7.1% in 2021 to 927 million riyal. In the same year, the volume of dates exported increased 17% to 215,000 tons.

Dates are the fruits of the date palm tree and are primarily eaten around the world as a dried fruit. They are a primary dried fruit with similar production volumes to raisins, and as a super food packed with nutrition and sweetness they are very popular in Japan, especially among women concerned with their health.

Earlier this year, the Ambassador of Japan to Saudi Arabia, Fumio Iwai, visited Onaiza and Al Ahsa during the date season, where he learned about the mechanisms and organization of date farming. He later spoke about various types of oasis dates and their nutritional advantages, as well as their importance as agricultural and economic products within Saudi Arabia.