Cairo – Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Palms & Dates (NCPD) plans on becoming the world’s leading date exporters by 2025, according to a strategy of the country to enhance production and boost the fruit’s exports. Saudi Arabia currently produces around 1.5 million tonnes of dates in 123,000 farms and exports approximately 217,000 tonnes to 107 countries.
The information was given to ANBA by NCPD Marketing Department manager Abdullah Alyahya (pictured above). He said the NCPD is focused on developing the sector and aims at boosting date exports from Saudi Arabia throughout the world. The goal is stepping up sales by 19% this year by breaking into new markets.
Saudi Arabia grows over 400 varietals of dates, Alyahya said. The NCPD coordinates the work together with a group of internationally certified top-quality date producing companies. The institution has its own seal of quality under the name “Saudi Dates” aimed at developing and strengthening the sector in the country, as well as securing the quality of the fruits before exporting them.
Alyahya added the NCPD has finished a feasibility study to break into 25 new markets. Five of them were the focus of activities of the institution last year, and other ten are the focus this year. Part of the job is providing information and marketing tools to allow companies to break into these markets. To put the dates into more countries, one of the strategies is participating in international trade shows.
The Saudi executive told ANBA that Saudi Arabia has a competitive lead in the sector such as availability and supply of all types of dates to serve different international markets, particularly countries in East Asia, Europe and the Americas with good prices and quality.
According to Alyahya, Latin American countries are some of the export target markets as they’re promising and have large Arab and Islamic communities, as well as interest on natural nutritional supplements. He said the local purchasing power is a great opportunity for Saudi companies.
The NCPD plans on participating on trade shows in North America, which it sees as a gateway for Latin America, particularly Brazil, one of the largest and most important markets in the region. According to Alyahya, the NCPD is cooperating with commercial attachés of Saudi embassies in Latin America to connect Saudi Arabia-based companies with importers in the region.
Translated by Ahmed El Nagari and Guilherme Miranda
