Date trade
India imports the most dates, spending approximately 231 million U.S. dollars on over 475 million metric tons of imports. Israel is a leading exporter and shipped over 330 million U.S. dollars' worth of dates in 2022. Saudi Arabia, however, exported the highest volume of dates that year, accounting for 18 percent of global exports. The warm climates of these countries makes them ideal for growing dates.Dried fruit consumption
Per capita consumption of dates worldwide has remained fairly constant for several years, staying between about 0.1 and 0.2 kilograms. Within the United States, consumption of table dates increased by over 75 percent since 2012, exceeding 28 thousand metric tons in 2021. Dried fruits, including dates, are the most valuable segments of the United States' fruit and vegetable market. On average, the per capita consumption of dried fruit, aside from raisins was about one pound since 2018/2019 in the U.S.
