Dates: early harvest start in Israel

Empty warehouses and high demand

As the Israel Dates Board reports, the Israeli date harvest has started around ten days earlier than usual this year. The first dates to be harvested are the small yellow Bhari dates – the harvesting process is almost complete here in the north of the country. The harvest of the popular Medjool dates has also begun, albeit at a moderate pace so far. In around two weeks' time, the harvest should be in full swing here. Medjool dates are particularly eagerly awaited by buyers and the quality of this year's crop is promising. The size of the fruit is average and the crop volume is likely to be roughly the same as last year's 55,000 mt. Around 40,000 mt of this is destined for export.

Gal Twig from the Israel Dates Board explains that stocks on the world market are now exhausted and demand for the new crop is correspondingly high. Israeli dates are exported to 60 countries, with Asia, especially China and India, becoming increasingly important. Europe remains an important key market. Brazil is also showing increasing interest in Medjool dates from Israel – to date, around 2,000 mt are exported to the South American country every year. Twig reckons that this year's crop should cover demand until at least February without any major problems.

Significantly higher production in Saudi Arabia

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Saudi Arabia has confirmed that the country is 124% self-sufficient in dates, as FreshPlaza reports with reference to the Saudi Gazette. According to the report, this year's production is expected to exceed 1.6 million mt – this is mainly due to the strong expansion of palm cultivation, which now covers around 165,000 hectares. The Riyadh region is the largest producer in the country with 436,112 mt, followed by the Qassim region with 390,698 mt. Other important producers are Madinah with 263,283 mt and the Eastern Region with 203,069 mt. This success underscores the Ministry's commitment to advancing the palm industry through innovative agricultural techniques, quality improvements and contributions to the domestic product. For example, the ‘Harvest Season’ campaign aims to promote local production and consumption and support local farmers.

Meanwhile, The Express Tribune reports from Pakistan that production there has the potential to grow from 5.5 million mt to up to 10 million mt. Exports could also double as a result. However, this would require new technologies such as better cooling facilities, the appropriate equipment for pollination during the flowering phase and a laboratory for analysing tissue cultures. Market experts also emphasise the need for improved processing, packaging, preservation and marketing. Until now, Pakistani dates have often been bought cheaply and then re-exported at higher prices; local market players would like to see improvements in this area.

Russia imports 71% more from Azerbaijan

Meanwhile, exporters in Azerbaijan can be pleased about rising exports to Russia. As Azernews reports, citing Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia has imported a good 71% more dates from Azerbaijan since the beginning of 2024. This is particularly surprising given that total shipments of fruit and vegetables from Azerbaijan to Russia have fallen over the same period. A total of 31,200 mt of dates were delivered to Russia, a sign that agricultural trade between the two countries is gaining momentum.

Prices for Iranian dates have fallen noticeably since mid-July, but managed to stabilise in August and are currently holding at the level of recent weeks. Nevertheless, the price level is still significantly lower than in the two previous years. Mazafati dates, grade A currently cost EUR 1.18/kg FOB Iran.

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