International Date Council

The International Date Council is an international council dedicated to enhancing international cooperation in the palm and date sector. Its mission includes addressing challenges facing the sector, tackling research and production technology issues, developing the date industry, and enhancing capacities to achieve sustainable agricultural and rural development at the global and regional levels. It consists of ten member countries and is headquartered in Riyadh City.

The Kingdom gives great consideration to the date sector, having promoted the idea of establishing the International Date Council. It hosted the first preliminary meeting in 2011, followed by the council's founding meeting in 2013. Another meeting on the council's establishment was held in 2020, chaired by the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, with the participation of eleven countries.

The first founding meeting of the International Date Council was held in al-Ahsa Governorate, in the Eastern Province, on February 16, 2022, and lasted for two days. During the meeting, the Kingdom was elected as the President of the Council of Members for the first term of two years, and the United Arab Emirates was elected as Vice President for the first term of two years. The council comprises ten member countries: The Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Somalia, Oman, Yemen, Mauritania, Bahrain, Somalia, and Tunisia, with Lebanon participating as an associate member.

On June 19, 2022, the members of the Executive Committee of the International Date Council held their first meeting. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Council of Members (the Kingdom) via video conference. During the meeting, they discussed the council's major activities within the last quarter, the best practices for clean and good agriculture, the preferred date varieties for consumers, and the updated quality standards for dates. The council reviewed the working papers prepared by the council's secretariat, the comments and insights of regional representatives, and approved the semi-annual financial report and the work plan projects for the remainder of 2022.

According to 2020 statistics, the number of palm trees in the Kingdom reached thirty-three million, with a production volume of 1.55 million t. Prominent date varieties in the Kingdom include Khalas, Sagai, Barni, Sukkari, Ajwa, and Barhi.

The International Date Council aims to support international cooperation among member countries in all areas to develop the date sector, improve its production and quality, promote international trade of dates, and support their marketing locally and internationally. Furthermore, it seeks to increase income levels for those working in the date sector and optimize the use of natural resources, particularly water.

The International Date Council undertakes several tasks, including proposing methods and rules to facilitate the exchange of experiences and expertise among member countries, developing research centers to help solve common problems, and providing a database for the palm and date sector to share information related to production, manufacturing, marketing, and prices. The council also prepares and implements advisory programs for combating palm pests, a program for preserving the genetic resources of palm trees, and a program for developing and standardizing international quality standards for dates.

Among the tasks of the council are: encouraging increased demand for dates by organizing exhibitions, implementing local, regional, and international marketing programs, providing technical support and consultations related to the sustainable development of dates, preparing a trade directory for exporting and importing companies, enhancing the role of the private sector in the production and trade of dates, encouraging investment in the palm sector, and establishing special programs to train the workforce.

The International Date Council also discusses several issues to find solutions, including: identifying the global market needs for dates in terms of varieties and quality standards, developing international trade of dates and supporting their marketing, enhancing new industries of processed date products and their derivatives, in addition to improving the quality of dates to meet both local and international market demands.

The International Date Council has provided several general guidelines and directives in the form of the following: supporting relevant institutions at the national, regional, and international levels, involving the private sector in developing the palm and date sector, coordinating efforts, and maximizing the use of human resources and knowledge at the national, regional, and international levels, and selecting specialized experts to implement projects.

The International Date Council held meetings for its second term on February 15 and 16, 2023, chaired by the Kingdom. The meeting approved the council's work plan for 2023 and prioritized projects and activities. It also formed council committees from member countries and organizations, including the Marketing and Promotion Committee, the Technical Committee, and the Information, Networks, and Statistics Committee. The Kingdom undertook to fund the council's budget for two years, totaling USD4 million, and host its headquarters in Riyadh City.