The International Dates Council held a strategic workshop today in Riyadh focusing on the future of the palm and date sector, as well as partnership and investment opportunities with the private sector. The workshop brought together broad international participation to discuss future partnership models, strengthen the role of the private sector in the development and sustainability of this vital sector, and support its presence in global markets.

HRH Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Executive Director of the International Dates Council, explained that the workshop comes at a time when the global food system is facing rapidly evolving challenges. She emphasized the importance of the date sector in supporting food security and advancing green economy objectives, noting the growing global recognition of dates as a superfood and a promising economic driver. She stressed the need to move beyond a focus on production toward achieving sustainable global competitiveness.

The workshop sessions featured participation from Dr. Mubarak Al-Suwailim, Executive Director of Public Affairs at Milaf Global Company; Anas Bashar, Co-Founder of Africa Organics from Morocco; Dr. Ali Al Araimi, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Agricultural Development Company from the Sultanate of Oman; Shay Jawadi, General Manager of Candor Foods from India; Mohsen Boujbel, Chairman of Boujbel Company from Tunisia; and Dr. Eman Al-Furaidi, Director General of Strategy and Business Development.

The sessions concluded with a number of recommendations, most notably the formation of a joint committee between the International Dates Council and private sector partners to identify partnership priorities, coordinate efforts, and monitor the implementation of programs within a clear governance framework that balances strategic direction with practical execution.

The recommendations also included supporting the initiative to establish the International Date Observatory in the Kingdom of Bahrain by enhancing the sharing of data and studies, adopting unified standards and quality programs, and launching joint global marketing initiatives that promote dates as a healthy and functional food product.

Furthermore, participants called for efforts to support the adoption of an International Year of Dates in cooperation with government entities and international organizations, as well as strengthening programs aimed at developing innovative date-based processing industries and facilitating the exchange of expertise in this field.