Saudi Arabia, one of the largest date producers in the world, has been working hard to improve the quality of the date industry. One of these efforts is the implementation of the Date Processing Project, which aims to modernize post-harvest, processing, packaging and marketing of dates.
Dates have been an important part of Saudi Arabian culture and history for centuries. They are a staple in the country, used in a variety of dishes, and eaten frequently. Over the years, the country has developed a date palm industry, and currently, there are about 32 million date palm trees in Saudi Arabia, producing more than 1.2 million tons of dates, making it the second largest producer of dates in the world.
However, despite its huge production, Saudi Arabia has been facing various challenges in maintaining a competitive advantage in the global market. One of the most significant challenges is the industry’s lack of modernization. Traditional jujube harvesting, processing and packaging techniques lead to low productivity and poor product quality to compete in the global market.
The data processing project was launched in 2015 as a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Saudi Office of Industrial Property (MODON). The project aims to improve the quality and efficiency of the jujube industry through modern processing and packaging technologies. The project is divided into two phases.
The first phase of the project involves the construction and upgrading of four date processing plants in the areas of Medina, Al Jouf, Qassim and Asir. These areas were chosen because of the high concentration of dates in these areas and the low level of modernization of the date industry. These factories are equipped with modern equipment that can improve productivity, efficiency and product quality. In addition, the factory is equipped with modern packaging equipment, which helps to maintain the quality of dates and reduce losses during transportation.
The second phase of the project began in 2018 with the addition of the plant and the upgrade of the existing plant. This phase focuses on increasing the value of dates by developing new products such as date paste and chocolate coated dates and extending the shelf life of the products.
As a common food, dates are widely used in Arabia, and the date processing project is to process dates into various delicacies to satisfy people’s tastes and create business opportunities.
Processing of dates
Date palm processing can process dates into various foods, such as date palm cakes, date palm sticks, date palm paste, etc. Date palm processing can generally be divided into the following steps:
- Sorting: The fresh dates are unloaded from the wagons and the weak or damaged ones are sorted out.
- Cleaning: Put the dates in the cleaning pool, add brushes and water, and wash them through the machine.
- Cutting: Cut the dates in half, remove the core, and grind the dates at the same time to make coconut paste.
- Processing: Add the date palm paste to the pot and boil it, then add sugar and other required raw materials.
- Cooling: Cool the processed date palm food in a cold storage, and pack it for sale.
Income from date palm processing project
The benefits of the date palm processing project are as follows:
- Diversified products: date palm processing can process dates into diversified products, such as biscuits, candies, cakes, etc., suitable for people of all ages.
- Mass production: date palm processing can be mass-produced through mechanized production lines to improve production efficiency.
- Increase employment opportunities: The date palm processing project can create employment opportunities and provide more employment opportunities for local residents.
- Profit: date palm processing can obtain high profits and increase the company’s assets and profits.
In conclusion, the Saudi Arabian Date Processing Project is an excellent initiative aimed at modernizing the date industry and increasing its competitiveness in the global market. The project’s success is reflected in improvements in productivity, efficiency, and product quality in production dates, as well as job creation. With continued support, the project will lead the country’s date industry into a new era of growth and success.
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