Egypt might flood the global dates market within the next five years

Egypt is gearing up to boost exports of dates and to take the crown of the largest global exporter away from the current leader Israel.

In 2021 Egypt wasn’t even among the top 10 largest exporters of dates in the world but in 2022 it has advanced to the 8th position in global ranking. However, Egypt is still exporting only a very small amount compared to the volumes produced in the country as it is by far the largest global producer of the dates.

However, situation started changing around 5-7 years ago. Several large projects were initiated predominantly focusing on production of the Medjool dates variety and several other internationally recognized varieties. The planting material for these large-scale plantations of dates is imported mostly from Saudi Arabia. The process of area expansion has been accelerating each year.

This has raised concern among the local industry leaders, who would like to preserve and promote local Egyptian varieties of dates. Moreover, large palm projects in Egypt are now facing an unexpected problem – a severe shortage of specialized labor. It is a very difficult job, and it requires a lot of training and knowledge, especially taking care of the new modern varieties of palm dates. Moreover, growing dates for the local market and growing dates for exports might require different approaches.