Promoting Agricultural Value Chains
In the OIC Member Countries
71
companies that own large palm groves for date production and have their own processing,
packaging and exporting activities (Beers et al., 2014). In this marketing channel proper
sorting, grading, washing, packaging, transport and storage are critical factors for quality
control and to ensure that the dates can either be exported or processed (Elsabea, 2012).
Figure 5-3 Date value chain in Saudi Arabia
Source: Authors’ elaboration
5.1.5 Trade
In 1999, Saudi Arabia established an export programme under the Saudi Fund for
Development (SFD) to encourage exports of dates and date products to existing markets and to
access new markets, as part of a broader policy initiative to diversify export revenues and
national income (Ali et al., 2014). However, exports of Saudi dates are still weak and stagnate
between 7-8 percent of national production (Ali et al., 2014; El-Habba & Al-Mulhim 2013). In
2013, exports of dates reached a value of US$ 103.6 million up from US$ 40.5 million in 2007
(se .
Figure 5-4 Date exports from Saudi Arabia, 2007-2013
Source: IndexBox, 2015
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
million US$