Riyadh: The National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD) has revealed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s date exports increased by 14 percent in 2023.
The surge has pushed the export value to 1.462 billion Saudi Riyals (Rs 32,29,68,42,056) from 1.280 billion Saudi Riyals (Rs 28,27,63,04,947) in 2022.
As of the end of 2023, 119 countries had imported Saudi dates, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Since 2016, the total value of exports, including date products, has surged by 152.5 percent, from Saudi Riyals 579 million (Rs 12,79,06,09,815) to Saudi Riyals 1.462 billion in 2023, demonstrating a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3 percent.
NCPD Chief Executive Dr Mohammed Alnuwairan credits the success to collaborative efforts among the leadership, date producers and exporters, and public-sector agencies.
The efforts involved participating in local and international exhibitions, organizing business missions, facilitating export procedures, and working in partnership with the private sector under a unified strategy aiming to support the date exports.
In 2023, exports to China experienced a significant 112 percent increase compared to 2022, while France saw a 16 percent increase.
Singapore and Korea experienced significant growth in date imports from Saudi Arabia, with 86% and 24% increases, respectively.
Alnuwairan emphasized NCPD’s ambitious objectives to position Saudi dates as the top choice globally, involving national export expansion, improved agricultural practices, marketing services, and industry support.
