Riyadh - Mubasher: Saudi Arabia's exports of dates advanced by 48% year-on-year (Yoy) during the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, reaching SAR 397 million, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The exports' volume grew by 54% annually during the three-month period in 2020, equivalent to 85,000 tonnes, announced the CEO of the National Centre for Palms and Dates (NCPD), Mohammed Alnuwairan.
The NCPD is currently working on activating several initiatives that will improve the production quality, increase the value of exports while enhancing the consumer identity for Saudi dates.
The kingdom was ranked the second date producer worldwide as it accounts for 17% of the overall global output.
A total of 1.54 million tonnes of dates are produced from various areas across the kingdom every year. Recently, the kingdom exported 184,000 tonnes of dates valued at SAR 860 million.
Saudi Arabia has 31.23 million palm trees spread over an area of 107,000 hectares.
