“Right now we have about 400 varieties of dates, with most of them being local varieties,” explained, Dr. Abdul Rahaman Janubi, CEO of NCPD. “Our objective is to reduce those to the 20 most profitable varieties.” In addition to the most well-known varieties, like the Sukkari, Medjool, Deglett Noor and Segai dates, many growers throughout Saudi Arabia grow regional dates that are little-known.
NCPD works with, encourages and helps growers find the most profitable varieties and facilitates the sale of those dates. Because the center has no control over growers, the methods used to achieve their goal are geared toward offering support.
“Many used to grow wheat, but they switched to dates, and we had no control over that expansion,” explained Janubi. “We were established to raise production and help growers sell their products in Saudi Arabia and support trade outside of the country.”
Saudi Arabia currently has 180 factories that can store 400,000 tons of dates. Annual production hovers around 1.2 million tons, and most of that goes to the local market. About 70,000 tons are exported to neighboring countries, like Yemen, Jordan and the UAE, but the NCPD wants to help growers expand their exports into new markets.
“We want to expand into China, Malaysia and Indonesia in Asia, and we are also thinking about North America,” said Janubi. “Hopefully, by this year, we will be in the United States and Canada.” The amount of dates the U.S. imports has grown over the last several years, which means demand there has grown. Janubi sees that as an encouraging sign when it comes to expansion, though the main markets for their dates remain their home country and the surrounding area.
“Prices for dates in Saudi Arabia are high because we care very much about the fruit – it's important to us and we eat it almost every day,” said Janubi. “Also, in Muslim countries, the majority of the dates eaten there are consumed during Ramadan.”
For more information:
Abdullah F. Alyahya
National Centre For Palms & Dates
Tel: +966 11 4205315
Fax: +966 11 4205353
Email: [email protected]
www.ncpd.org.sa