Saudi date sector highlighted at international workshop in Tunisia
Saudi Arabia's experience in developing its date sector and boosting global presence was showcased at an international workshop in Tunisia.
Key Takeaways
AIDr. Iman Al-Furaidi, Director General of Strategy and Business Development at the International Dates Council, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s experience in developing its date palm and dates sector during the international workshop on global marketing and promotion of dates, best practices, and success stories, held in Tunisia. She outlined the sector’s progress in production, marketing, and exports, as well as efforts to increase the added value of Saudi dates and expand into more global markets.
Al-Furaidi detailed key aspects of the Saudi approach, which has shifted from a focus on production to building an integrated value chain. This includes agriculture and production, sorting and grading, manufacturing and innovation, packaging, trade and distribution, and ultimately, brand building and reaching global consumers to enhance the sector’s economic value.
According to data from the National Center for Palms and Dates, Saudi Arabia’s date production exceeded 1.9 million tons in 2025. The sector includes more than 37 million palm trees, and the value of Saudi date exports reached around 1.938 billion riyals (SAR), marking a 14.3% increase compared to 2024 and a 59.5% rise compared to 2021. Saudi dates are now exported to over 125 countries worldwide.
The presentation emphasized the importance of developing international marketing and promotion for Saudi dates by enhancing brand identity, expanding distribution channels, leveraging e-commerce, and building partnerships with global institutions and companies. It also highlighted the need to improve product quality, expand into value-added industries, innovate in packaging and classification, and respond to changing consumer tastes and global market needs.
The workshop also addressed major trends in the global date market and opportunities for producing countries to maximize the sector’s economic value amid growing demand for high-quality food products, the expansion of e-commerce, and the emergence of new consumer markets, especially in Asia. It also discussed challenges such as market positioning, reaching consumers, unifying marketing efforts, and achieving higher added value for products.