RIYADH — After having produced 1,54 million tons of dates annually, Saudi Arabia exported more than 300 species of the crop, enough to qualify as the top country in the world as its first dates exporter in 2021 among 113 countries according to TradeMab website, a recent official report disclosed here Saturday.

The report, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) said that Saudi Arabia's dates exports amounted to SR1,215 billion, making the dates sector one of the most contributing in the increase of national investments and exports to the best achievement of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia accommodates more than 33 million palm trees planted in more than 123,000 agricultural properties in 13 administrative regions, the report said.

The transformative industries of palm trees and their products are considered among the world's most important, with the MEWA succeeding to register dates in the international SuperFruit index at the World Food and Agriculture Organization, which announced 2027 as the world's International Year for Dates, the report concluded. — SPA