The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, who also chairs the Board of the National Center for Palms and Dates, launched the Dates Campaign at the ministry's headquarters in Riyadh.
The Campaign, introduced by the National Center for Palms and Dates, aims to encourage the use of dates in everyday meals and beverages, promote them as a natural sweetener, and reinforce their status as a healthy dietary choice and an integral part of Saudi culture and heritage.
The center said the campaign seeks to raise public awareness of the nutritional value of dates and strengthen their presence in daily lifestyles through a range of initiatives targeting different segments of society. The program also aims to expand the use of Saudi dates in everyday cooking and food consumption.
As part of the campaign, restaurants, cafés and bakeries will be encouraged to develop and offer date-based dishes and products. The initiative will also launch digital platforms showcasing recipes, beverages and baked goods sweetened with dates, highlighting the opportunities within the Saudi date industry.
Saudi Arabia's palm and date sector has recorded significant progress in recent years, with notable growth in production, product diversity and value-added industries. Date production exceeded 1.9 million tons in 2025, while the Kingdom is home to more than 37 million palm trees, underscoring the sector's diversity and its capacity to meet the demands of international markets. The figures further reinforce Saudi Arabia's position as one of the world's leading producers and exporters of dates.