Deputy Agriculture Minister for Agricultural Affairs Dr. Khalid Al-Fehaid said that Saudi Arabia’s production of dates reached around 1.1 million tons, while producing palm trees cover an area of 157,000 hectares, Saudi Gazette reported.

He said the number of palm trees reached more than 25 million and the Kingdom is considered the world’s second largest dates producer and it exports around 5 percent of the produce.

“The Ministry of Agriculture has published a book about 160 famous types of dates produced in the country,” he said.

He explained that dates, like any other agricultural produce, are subject to supply and demand, and as such prices increase during Ramadan.

This story was first published in the Saudi Gazette.