REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, RIYADH – Consumption of dates by the people of Saudi Arabia during the fasting month of Ramadan accounts for around 40 percent of the country’s total annual consumption of nutritious products.
Families in Saudi Arabia spend 1,000 Saudi riyals to 2,000 Saudi riyals to buy Ramadan dates.
Reported Gulf News, Saturday (9/3/2024), Saudi Arabia has achieved date production efficiency which is estimated to reach 1.5 million tons per year. Exports jumped to 1.2 billion Saudi riyals in 2022, up 5.4 percent compared to the previous year.
Export Saudi Arabian dates increasing by 14 percent to reach 1.4 billion Saudi riyals last year to a total of 119 countries.
As Ramadan approaches, the date market in Saudi Arabia is usually busy with buyers of premium types of dates to end the day-long fast that month.
There are more than 33 million date palm trees throughout the kingdom. This sector makes a significant contribution to several transformational industries including food, medical and cosmetic products and animal feed.
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the kingdom in transformational industries as part of ambitious plans to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
With dates being a major Saudi product, the fruit has recently been turned into a sweet and nutritious candy that is proving popular with children. Marketed in various flavors and colors, this candy is made from ground date powder without any artificial additives.
Last January, a Saudi Arabian man named Saud Al Quseibi revealed in a statement to the media that the leaves of palm trees in his homeland are now used to make juice which is rich in nutrients and is patterned like Japanese Matcha green tea.
Al Quseibi, who has innovated several date-based products, explained that the idea for the drink, called “Safcha”, came after he read a scientific paper highlighting the nutritional benefits of dates.
According to him, the juice produced contains 23 percent protein, 22 percent fiber as well as minerals, vitamins, calcium and antioxidants. “Safcha” is a combination of the words “saf”, Arabic for palm leaf, and Matcha.
2024-03-09 13:02:45
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