Fig Cultivation in Saudi Arabia

Fig Cultivation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is widespread across most regions of the Kingdom, and the fruit is one of the seasonal crops achieving self-sufficiency levels, with production covering domestic consumption and leaving a surplus.

Fig is cultivated over an area exceeding 1,421 ha, distributed across eleven provinces within the Kingdom. The annual production reaches approximately 28,000 t, ensuring that the Kingdom achieves a self-sufficiency rate of 111 percent in fig crops.

Taif Governorate is home to about twenty thousand fig trees that supply the markets with a bountiful crop of more than five hundred t from the beginning of June to the end of August. The figs produced in Taif are known for their diverse sizes and high quality. In Taif, figs are called "al-Hamat." Most farms have at least one fig tree, as farmers are keen to plant fig trees whose large green leaves provide shade in the summer. However, fig trees can suffer from various pests, such as fig rust, fig stem borers, leaf blight, scale insects, and aphids. The local office of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture in Taif assists farmers in boosting their production through the services it provides like guidance and pest control.

In Qassim, about thirty varieties of high-quality figs are grown across thirty farms, containing over one hundred thousand fig trees, including yellow figs with high abundance, green, black, red, Iraqi green, Spanish black, Turkish brown, and tiger figs, in addition to several European varieties.

Al-Jawf Province produces around 874 t of figs annually, contributing to achieving self-sufficiency through various farms, agricultural holdings, and major agricultural projects, which produce a variety of fruits per annum, including figs.

The fig season in the Kingdom starts from February to November, with cultivation spread across different provinces, including the Eastern Province, Northern Borders, Riyadh, al-Bahah, Aseer, Qassim, al-Jawf, Tabuk, Hail, Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Jazan, and Najran.

Several fig types are grown in the Kingdom, such as Madani figs, Baladi figs, Turkish brown, Kadota figs, Waziri figs, and White King.