RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce has announced that Saudi Arabia's production of fruits witnessed a jump of 194 percent in six years, reaching 2.7 million tons by the end of 2020. This is compared to 930,000 tons six years ago. Dates come on top of the list of Saudi fruits. The Kingdom ranked second in the world in the production of dates with 1.5 million tons in 2020. Saudi Arabia exports dates to as many as 107 countries, and exports recorded a growth rate of 7.1 percent, valued at SR927 million. The statistical figures showed that the per capita annual consumption of fruit and vegetables in the Kingdom reached 77 kg and 62 kg respectively. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture aims to take the per capita share of fruit consumption to 90 kg, and that of vegetables to 100 kg in a year, which is equivalent to approximately 250 grams per day. In addition to dates of all varieties, major fruits produced by the Kingdom include pomegranates, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, mangoes, strawberries, bananas, apples, oranges, apricots and peaches.
