The main exporter of dates – Dates are edible fruits, with soft flesh and hard core, sweet taste and clustered fruit when growing on the tree and remain hanging until ripe.
Iran, the world’s largest exporter of dates
Everything about dates
Dates are edible fruits, with soft flesh and hard core, sweet taste and clustered fruit when growing on the tree and remain hanging until ripe. The height of the palm tree varies between 10 and 20 meters depending on the type of tree. Date is a fruit that grows in special climatic conditions and only in tropical or subtropical regions.
Dates, like other fruits, have a certain growth, but in general, they are divided into three stages of date growth: Khark stage, when dates are not ripe, Rotab stage, which can be used in some dates, and date ripening stage, in which dates are completely ripe and soft. The ripe dates, depending on the type of them are light brown, brown, and dark brown, and the sweet flesh has a long core 1 to 3 cm long and 2 to 5 mm in diameter that appears in the form of large clusters.
The moisture of dates is also different and there is another type of division for this reason, wet dates and dried dates. Dried dates have a longer shelf life and a sweeter taste due to the lower moisture of dates. Fresh dates are classified into soft, semi-dry and dry, depending on the percentage of moisture.
One of the wonders of the date fruit is that all parts of this fruit are used. Even date kernels are sometimes kneaded for baking bread or used as animal feed. Iranian desert dwellers make Iranian coffee from date kernels, and many people believe that this coffee has much more invigorating properties and effects. Apart from palm sap, palm leaves and wood are also used a lot.
Nutritional value of dates
The nutritional value of dates and the caloric content of dates are very important for people who are losing weight or exercising because dates are known as healthy and high-consumption food.
Dates have a variety of nutritional values depending on the type and location of their cultivation, but we examine the average calorie, fat, cholesterol, and other factors in the table of the nutritional value of a date.
Nutritional value of dates in one number
calories: 20
vitamin B-6: 0.012 milligrams (mg)
total carbohydrates: 5.33 g
total fat: 0.03 grams (g)
dietary fiber: 0.6 g
magnesium: 3 mg
potassium: 47 mg
protein: 0.17 g
iron: 0.07 mg
sugar: 4.5 g
Benefits of dates
As a very useful fruit, dates are an energy-rich snack that can be eaten daily. This fruit has various benefits, the most important of which are mentioned here
Hematopoietic: One of the most important benefits of dates is hematopoietic property. Dates are rich in iron, folate, and folic acid, which are very useful for blood formation and are a good treatment for iron deficiency anemia. Folate in dates has been introduced as a blood-forming food.
Eating dates is good for everyone, especially pregnant women because it is rich in folic acid
Energizing: Dates are rich in carbohydrates and therefore have the property of energizing and raising the physical strength of the body. Eating dates is very useful for athletes before competitions, and it is also a very nutritious and useful snack for children.
Vision enhancement: Date fruit due to its zeaxanthin vitamin A, is beneficial for eye health and strengthens vision.
Blood pressure control: Dates are low in sodium and high in potassium and are therefore useful for controlling high blood pressure. Eating dates is recommended for patients with high blood pressure.
Maintaining heart and brain health: Another of the most important properties of dates is helping heart health and preventing stroke. The properties of dates cause the excretion of vascular wall fats.
Useful for the gastrointestinal tract: Daily and continuous consumption of dates increases the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine and is used to treat constipation, intestinal disorders and diarrhea.
Cancer prevention: Dates contain carotenoids or pigments that are precursors of vitamin A and antioxidants and prevent cell damage and cancer.
Improving weakness and fatigue: This heavenly fruit is useful for balancing nerves, relieving fatigue and weakness due to the presence of B vitamins, as well as magnesium and phosphorus in it strengthens and keeps nerve cells alive.
Types of dates
Zahedi Dates
Zahedi dates have a light reddish brown color that the highest amount of this type of date is harvested in Fars and Bushehr provinces. But the areas under cultivation of this date in Iran are not limited to these two provinces and are cultivated in the southwestern regions of Iran, including the provinces of Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Kermanshah, and the hot and dry climate of these regions provided very suitable conditions for cultivation and harvesting of these kinds of dates.
Zahedi dates have attracted the attention of other countries due to their unique taste and high sugar content, and we have high exports of these dates, which are mostly exported to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Arab and African countries due to their relatively lower prices.
Shahani dates
Shahani date which has golden yellow color is one of the most popular types of Iranian dates. This type of date is cultivated in Fars province and Jahrom city.
The golden and yellow color of Shahani dates is one of the important characteristics of this type of date for export
Packages of Shahani dates for export are usually in the form of two and three kilograms.
Mazafati dates
One of the best types of dates is Mazafati dates which have a black color and a large size. Mazafati dates are cultivated and harvested in Bam city of Kerman province. This type of date is harvested in the form of rotab (rotab means a date that is not fully ripe). Mazafati dates have less sugar and a little juice.
Pyaram dates
But the best and most desirable dates in Iran and the world are Pyaram dates. This type of date is mostly cultivated in Hajiabad city of Hormozgan province and is known as a first class Iranian date due to its high quality and delicious taste. Pyaram dates are considered as high value-added export dates due to their high quality.
Pyaram dates have a dark brown color and thin skin that the flesh and skin of the date stick together and give this date a beautiful appearance. Also, this type of date has protein sugars and other minerals, and anyone who has consumed this date once, often becomes a regular customer of this date because of its excellent taste and nutritional properties.
Kabkab dates
Kabkab is one of the most important types of dates in the country and one of the most abundant types of dates in Iran. Kabkab dates are obtained for export in Bushehr and are full of juice. This date is one of the most economical dates for export in the country and has a dark brown color. The oval and elongated kernel, along with the high degree of adhesion of the kernel to the fruit, is one of the features of this date.
After growing, the Kabkab dates eventually turn dark brown to dark red. The moisture content of these dates is less than 19%.
Date Customs Tariff Code: 08041000
Tariff Code of Kabkab Dates: 08041020
Tariff Code of Pyaram Dates: 08041030
Tariff Code of Mazafati Dates: 08041040
Tariff Code of Shahani Dates: 08041050
Tariff Code of Zahedi Dates: 08041060
Tariff Code of Other Dates: 08041090
Production and export of dates
According to many historical documents, date palms have been imported from Iran for the first time. Initially, Iranian palms were taken from Iran to China in the ninth century AD, and after cultivation in this country, they were taken to European countries and in recent years to the United States.
Today, although many countries produce dates and many farms are cultivated with this precious fruit, but the largest production and export of dates are in Iran, and Egypt and the quality of dates produced in Iran is far superior to other dates in the opinion of many experts.
Today, the Middle East supplies three-quarters of the world’s dates.
In Iran, dates are grown in all tropical regions, including Khuzestan, Bushehr, Kerman, Fars, Hormozgan, Baluchistan and central regions.
The percentage of date production in Iran by province is as follows:
Date production of Kerman province: 28%
Date production of Hormozgan province: 15.35%
Date production of Sistan and Baluchestan province: 14.42%
Date production of Bushehr province: 14.79%
Date production of Khuzestan province: 14.40%
Date production of Fars province: 12.16%
Countries exporting dates
Iran is the world’s largest exporter of dates with 17% of the world market share. Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel are next with 16, 10, 10, and 8% of the world’s dates exports, respectively.
In importing this product, India has the highest import rate in the world with 15%. Morocco and the UAE are the next largest importers of dates.
The UAE seems to supply part of its export dates through imports. It imports dates from other countries and re-exports them.
Date export statistics
The goal is to identify competitors in the global market.
Total export figure: $ 1,954,480,000
Five-year growth rate of value of each unit: 8%
One-year growth rate of value of each unit: 14%
Average distance from the importing country: 3,150 KM
Date import statistics
The goal is to identify applicants and potentials in the global market.
Total imports figure: $ 1,741,423,000
Five-year growth rate of value of each unit: 9%
One-year growth rate of value of each unit: 13%
Average distance from exporting country: 3,331 KM
Types of export dates packaging
The packaging of dates as an effective food is very important because if the packaging of dates is not done properly, the dates will be crushed and will have a severe quality loss.
In general, date packaging means a set of date preparation systems for transportation, distribution, storage, retail and final consumption. In other words, date packaging is an economic-technical function that aims to minimize distribution costs while maximizing sales, as well as safe distribution to the final consumer.
In fact, maintaining the safety and quality of the date product and increasing the shelf life of this important product can only be achieved by using the right and efficient packaging.
Another important issue that should be considered in choosing the type of export date packaging is to pay attention to marketing, consumer taste, culture and its requirements in the target market. Many companies use creative designs to attract more customers so that they can sell more.
Three types of packaging are introduced for dates in the following order:
A) Consumer special packaging:
It usually contains the amount of dates a household needs over a period of time. This amount varies between 300 g to 1.5 kg in high-consumption households. If these packages are in cardboard cartons and the dates are placed in polyethylene bags before being packed in these cartons, it has recently become common for low-moisture date cultivars such as Pyaram to be packed in plastic containers.
B) Bulk packaging:
It is usually done in wooden boxes with cardboard weighing 5 to 20 kg. In the use of bulk packaging raw materials, it is necessary to consider factors such as recyclability, washability, and transport stability.
C) Packing dates for export:
Iran is one of the major producers of dates in the world. The role and importance of packaging as one of the important marketing tools has caused date exporters to pay special attention to it in order to increase their competitiveness and international markets. In export packaging of dates, it is necessary to consider the following:
1- Compliance with international standards
2- Compliance with the rules and regulations of the target country
3- Attracting the attention of a foreign buyer and persuading him to buy
4- Using packaging tailored to the needs and wants of the target market
Where to buy premium dates
The main supply and export of dates is done by Kian Karaman Aria Trading Company with a brilliant history in foreign trade.
Kian Karaman Aria Company is one of the largest suppliers of goods in the field of trade of domestic and foreign legumes and pulses, dried fruits and nuts, dairy products, spices, and saffron.
One of the most important goals of the management of this complex is the direct supply of dates types according to the World Health Standard and the Food and Drug Administration with the qualities desired by customers and offering competitive prices to esteemed customers.
Contact our support and sales team for more information.