Saudi date exports up 2.5 percent in Q1 2023

Saudi Arabia’s exports of raw and processed dates hit more than $151 million in the first quarter of 2023. (Shutterstock/File)

• Sales to China surge by 150 percent compared to same period last year
• National Center for Palms and Dates says stored, fresh dates account for 77 percent of exports

RIYADH: Saudi exports of raw and processed dates grew to more than SR566 million ($151 million) in the first quarter of 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The figure marks a 2.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The National Center for Palms and Dates issued a report saying that stored and fresh dates amounted to 77 percent of exports while industrial date products accounted for 23 percent.
The dates were exported worldwide to 111 countries, topped by China, where Saudi date exports increased by 150 percent to SR7.6 million. Exports to Austria grew by 60 percent to SR2 million; Belgium by 23 percent to SR1.23 million; Turkiye by 30 percent to SR22.3 million, Russia by 95 percent to about SR2.7 million; and Canada by 40 percent to SR4 million.