Saudi Arabia's Date Exports Grow to $200 Million in First Half of 2024

Vendors and buyers are seen at the AlUla Dates Festival. SPA file photo
Vendors and buyers are seen at the AlUla Dates Festival. SPA file photo
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Saudi Arabia's Date Exports Grow to $200 Million in First Half of 2024

Vendors and buyers are seen at the AlUla Dates Festival. SPA file photo
Vendors and buyers are seen at the AlUla Dates Festival. SPA file photo

The National Center for Palms and Dates in Saudi Arabia reported a 9.9% rise in date exports in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

The country exported more than SAR751 million worth of dates (200 million dollars) in the first six months of this year.

Exports to Brazil, Norway, Italy, and Canada in the first half of 2024 grew by over 100%. To Germany they registered a 91.5% increase, to South Korea 72%, to Indonesia 50.1%, to Sweden 43.7%, to Malaysia 32.6%, to the UK 29.7%, to Morocco 25.3%, and to the US 21.1%.

The rise in date exports is credited to the unwavering support the Saudi leadership gives to the palm and date sector, and to the impactful efforts of the National Center for Palms and Dates to boost the competitiveness of Saudi dates at global scale.

This success underscores the dedication of date exporters to deliver top-quality products, boost the global presence of Saudi dates, and establish the Kingdom as a frontrunner in date exports.



PM: Egypt Eyes Shift from Commodity Subsidies to Cash Payments by July 2025

FILE PHOTO: Birds fly during sunset with Cairo skyline visible in the background, during foggy cold weather, Egypt February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Birds fly during sunset with Cairo skyline visible in the background, during foggy cold weather, Egypt February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
TT

PM: Egypt Eyes Shift from Commodity Subsidies to Cash Payments by July 2025

FILE PHOTO: Birds fly during sunset with Cairo skyline visible in the background, during foggy cold weather, Egypt February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Birds fly during sunset with Cairo skyline visible in the background, during foggy cold weather, Egypt February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

Egypt could begin transitioning from subsidizing essential commodities to providing direct cash assistance to its poorest citizens as early as the next fiscal year (July to June), Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Thursday.
Currently, Egypt subsidizes essential commodities for more than half of its population. Over 60 million people have access to discounted prices on staples like pasta, vegetable oil and sugar through state-run outlets, while at least 10 million more benefit from subsidized bread.
“There is widespread consensus that cash subsidies are the way forward,” Madbouly told a press conference, noting that the Ministry of Supply, which oversees Egypt’s subsidy program, is exploring various scenarios for this significant policy shift.
Madbouly expressed optimism that the initial phase of the transition could start in the upcoming fiscal year, provided that consensus was reached on the matter at a year-old national political dialogue that is discussing a variety of reforms.
However, Reuters said that he emphasized that the transition would unfold gradually, in several stages.
The National Dialogue, initiated by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in April 2022 amid one of Egypt’s most severe economic crises, aims to generate political, economic, and social reform recommendations for the President's consideration.
The government also subsidizes fuel but has outlined plans to reduce these subsidies, aiming to restore fuel prices to their full cost by December 2025.