Saudi Arabia produces more than 1 million tons of dates worth approximately SR 9 billion and the Saudi market consumes 80 per cent of the dates produced by various provinces of the Kingdom, the Secretary General of Buraidah Dates Festival Suleiman Al-Fayez said. He pointed out that the value of dates in the festival amounted to SR 950 million during the last 50 days and the festival has provided more than 3,000 jobs for the people of the Province, noting that a dates season lasts for 3 months. Al-Fayez expected that dates production in the Kingdom will be doubled during the next two years due to the expansion scheme of planting palm trees.
