Here is some welcome news for anyone who has been to Saudi Arabia and tried the fine quality dates that grow here. So many varieties make Saudi dates one delicious treat, especially now that they may be up for export. One of my regrets of leaving this country, is the fact that most of the dates here are not found outside this country. Until coming here I was never a fan of eating dates. Here my taste has changed for the sweet and caramelly, or slightly sour and crisp fresh dates. Read on in today’s article from Arab News, “Saudi Arabia to launch global electronic platform for dates”, written by Hebshi Al-Shammari, 24 April 2021. Here is an excerpt:
“The Kingdom is one of the most important date-producing nations in the world, accounting for 17 percent of global output.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Nuwairan, CEO of the National Center for Palm and Dates (NCPD), said the platform would be launched before the end of the year and that it would be in four languages: Arabic, English, Indonesian and German.”…
‘“We are working with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and the National Center for Palms and Dates to facilitate export procedures and open up marketing sales outlets outside the Kingdom to deliver Saudi dates to all countries of the world.”
He said that efforts were being made to market Saudi dates overseas and to raise date exports by taking part in events, international exhibitions, bilateral meetings, and an export empowerment program with the aim of opening new marketing outlets.
Research and marketing studies had been presented to target countries in order to classify dates as a high-quality fruit, he added, contributing to increased demand.
Efforts were also being made to work with companies that developed products from dates — powder, jam, liquid sugar, yeast, juice, dough, molasses, medicinal alcohol, and vinegar — by seeking and stimulating private sector engagement.’
Here is the link to the full article online:
Date Palms & Camels 