Libya Joins International Dates Council to Boost Palm Sector

‎Libya officially joined the International Dates Council (IDC) last Sunday (12 April).

The IDC welcomed the accession of Libya as an official member, describing it as a qualitative addition that enhances the process of international cooperation in the date palm sector, and consolidates its position as the international reference for date producers, exporters and consumers around the world.‎

Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Executive Director of the Council, praised the Libyan government's interest in the date palm sector, due to its importance as a strategic crop and a product of superior nutritional value, as well as great economic, social, environmental and cultural importance. She pointedto Libya's long history in palm cultivation and a wide diversity in its authentic local date varieties, as well as its distinguished geographical location that combines the African and Mediterranean dimensions, which makes it a natural gateway to expand the date markets towards the continent African and Europe.‎

‎Libya has more than 10 million palm trees, according to estimates by the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture, while its total production of dates is about 180 thousand tons annually, and its total production during the last five years has reached about 700 thousand tons, at a rate of 150 thousand tons per year.‎

‎ The Council stressed that Libya's membership will open wide horizons for it to benefit from its programmes and initiatives in the fields of scientific research, supply chain development, post-harvest processing, international promotion of dates, and raising the efficiency of cadres working in the sector, in a way that contributes to achieving its vision towards a sustainable and comprehensive palm and date sector.‎

‎The International Dates Council, which is based in Riyadh, is the leading international organization concerned with promoting global cooperation in the palm and date sector, and works to implement integrated strategies to develop international production and trade, and achieve sustainable development in this vital sector.‎

Meanwhile, Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz, in her role as Executive Director of the International Date Council, received Fatih Bashir Bashina, Chargé d'affaires of the Libyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, at the Council's headquarters in Riyadh last Tuesday (14 April). The meeting was part of an official visit marking Libya's accession as a new member of the Council.

The Princess congratulated Libya on its membership, which represents a significant addition to the joint efforts and supports international initiatives to develop the date palm sector, given Libya's agricultural wealth and prominent position in this field.

During the meeting, the current state of the date palm sector in Libya was reviewed, emphasizing the strategic importance and productive capacity of the southern and western regions as the country's leading date-growing centers. Discussions also focused on challenges, particularly combating the red palm weevil and the importance of exchanging expertise and modern preventative protocols to mitigate its effects.

The meeting also explored ways to enhance academic cooperation, contributing to enriching scientific content and exchanging technical data to benefit producers and investors in the sector. For his part, Bashina reviewed the diversity and quality of the varieties for which the Libyan agricultural environment is renowned, highlighting the unique characteristics of the most prominent Libyan date varieties.

The meeting concluded with both sides affirming their commitment to activating cooperation initiatives to achieve the Council's strategic objectives of supporting sustainable food security and developing the global date economy.

Dates:

Libyan dates exported to Spain: LEPC