Al-Ahsa dates to be widely exported

AL-AHSA: Approximately 20,000 tons of Al-Ahsa dates are planned to be marketed abroad during the new dates season.
Muhammad Ismail, director general of the King Abdullah City for Dates (KACD), said: “The authorities in the city are planning to increase the quantities of dates supplied for Madinah in the Haraj market during the new season, including nine different kinds, representing 20 to 30 percent of the total production of dates in the city.”
He said that the KACD lab for quality testing started to develop the specifications and quality standards for these items, expected to be applied during next year’s dates season.
“Such new standards require research and studies to determine the various classifications for quality levels, like first-class dates,” the official said.
Ismail said that the marketing mechanism for dates will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture by inviting farmers to supply their dates to KACD to be classified. Saudi investors will be invited to buy these quantities for other manufacturing industries.
“There is coordination with the National Center for Palms and Dates, the Palms and Dates Research Center and the Ministry of Commerce to invite investors from outside the Kingdom to export these dates, as some of these items are desirable in some countries which would increase the economic returns for farmers,” he said.
KACD will serve as a focal point between farmers, traders and investors inside and outside the Kingdom, the official said, confirming that there is a high demand for second-class varieties of dates among consumers in Al-Ahsa, along with some international markets.