The Saudi date market is witnessing a quantum leap in sales with few obstacles in international exporting and marketing, said Prince Faisal bin Meshal, deputy governor of Qassim.
There is a high demand in various international markets for Saudi dates in spite of specifications with regards to the export of dates.
Yet some roadblocks remain for international acceptance of the Saudi date.
“One of the possible obstacles that could face Saudi date exporters is found in other countries’ date import specifications, since some of them have certain criteria for importing dates,” said Prince Faisal during a press conference that was held at the time of his inspection visit to Buraidah’s’s date festival. “These specifications could affect date marking outside the Kingdom.”
All transportation facilities are equipped to export dates easily and smoothly.
“We have a large date market, with an increasing number of farmers and date producing palms,” he said. “Date products are connected directly to Buraidah city.” He said no palm trees in Qassim are irrigated with refined water.
Prince Faisal demanded opening more outlets for marketing dates, like manufacturing industries. He said it is time to move from production to manufacturing stage. The Kingdom has a prior experience in some date derivative industries, but they were not of big importance because of the lack of feasibility studies in this field.
“We hope that private companies and establishments, either Saudis or from other Gulf states to enter the realm of date manufacturing,” the prince said. “We will provide producers with all facilitations and expertise in this area either by providing lands, projects, and other incentives like borrowing from service lending funds in the Kingdom. It is time to move to manufacturing industry.”