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Saudi Arabia Mobilizes to Boost Dates Exports to China

Dates on sale in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Dates on sale in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Mobilizes to Boost Dates Exports to China

Dates on sale in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Dates on sale in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

As part of its active strategy for unlocking more markets for its exports, Saudi Arabia is eyeing the Taiwanese market for its dates and dairy trades. The Kingdom is scouting for the most prominent importers in the field while considering the particular mechanism and conditions outlined by China.

Each of the offices of the Saudi General Authority for Foreign Trade in China and the Saudi Commercial Office in Taipei received a copy of the mechanism and requirements for exporting dates and dairy products to Taipei, according to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat.

This will aid the Kingdom in filling in its private sector’s dates and dairy industries on major Taiwanese importers in their target market.

The export of dairy products will be carried out with approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which operates under the Chinese Ministry of Health and Welfare.

In importing dairy products that are not included among the specified taxed goods, authorities will apply Article 35 of Taiwan’s food safety and health legislation.

According to the legislation, imports will be subjected to a systematic inspection process based on procedures and the attachment of health certificate documents for products from the exporting country.

As for dates, exports to Taiwan are required to present records signed by relevant and expert authorities. Upon arrival, dates will need to undergo a laboratory examination that tests for pesticides and microorganisms.

The move to boost dairy and dates exports aligns with Saudi Arabia’s national transformation plan, Vision 2030, which chiefly aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy.

Vision 2030 focuses on capitalizing on natural resources available to the Kingdom other than oil. This includes Saudi Arabia’s prosperous agricultural and farming industries.

The plan seeks to make the Kingdom’s dates production and distribution industries one of the most critical sectors in a new era of national investments that takes Saudi exports worldwide.

According to a report prepared by the National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD) and the General Authority for Statistics, dates exports in the Kingdom reached 107 countries in 2020.

Compared to previous years, the 2020 results confirm remarkable growth in marketing the Kingdom’s dates and expanding their reach worldwide.

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Mega Projects Enhance Growth of Saudi Arabia’s Facilities Management

NEOM (Photo: Saudi PIF)
NEOM (Photo: Saudi PIF)
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Mega Projects Enhance Growth of Saudi Arabia’s Facilities Management

NEOM (Photo: Saudi PIF)
NEOM (Photo: Saudi PIF)

Mega Saudi projects have contributed to increasing the volume of facilities management investments, which are expected to exceed $60 billion during 2030.
Facilities management is defined as a comprehensive field that brings together the workplace (buildings and facilities), its workforce, and system operations.
It aims to ensure smooth workflow, improve the efficiency of using facilities, and create a safe and comfortable work environment.
The sector covers a wide range of services, including hard services such as mechanical and electrical maintenance, fire safety, and maintenance of building systems and equipment, and soft services such as cleaning, recycling, pest and infection control, floor maintenance and waste disposal.
An electronic platform was launched in 2023 to develop the sector.
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Facilities Management Association, Eng. Ayed Al-Qahtani, said that the volume of the sector is expected to reach $60 billion in 2030, with a 13.5 percent growth rate until the end of the decade.
Total government spending on the infrastructure and public services sector in the Saudi budget for 2023 amounted to about SAR 190 billion ($50.6 billion), of which facilities management constitutes a large part, according to Al-Qahtani.

According to MordorIntelligence’s expectations, the size of the facilities management market in Saudi Arabia will reach $49.6 billion by 2029, driven by many factors, including government investments in infrastructure projects.
For its part, P&S Intelligence believes that the market will grow at a compound annual rate of 12.4 percent, reaching $90.1 billion by the end of the current decade, pointing to increased construction activities in the country, a growing tourism industry, and over-reliance on advanced technologies.
Al-Qahtani stressed that the Kingdom’s market in the facilities management sector is the fastest growing in the world, with the entry of major international companies into the local market.
He revealed that the association intends to hold the International Facilities Management Conference and Exhibition in September, under the patronage of the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, and in strategic partnership with the Saudi Facilities Management Company, which is owned by the Public Investment Fund.
The company was established in 2023 to meet the market needs and provide sector services for the Fund’s real estate development projects.
Al-Qahtani noted that the objectives of the upcoming conference were based on three elements: the quality of human life within the built environment, the role of artificial intelligence in facilities management, especially in light of recent developments and the global tech outage, in addition to the protection of data inside buildings.
He said he expects the event to witness the signing of 10 to 15 cooperation agreements.