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.
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Dates:
Libyan dates exported to Spain: LEPC
LEPC acknowledges Al-Qour for exporting Libyan dates to 8 countries
Libyan made nappies exported to Senegal: LEPC
LEPC follows up on Tripoli Carpet Company’s exports to Mauritania
LEPC and LBC hold B2B meetings with Spanish agricultural trade delegation
Libyan Products Exhibition to open in Nouakchott, Mauritania 23 to 26 October (libyaherald.com)
Preparations for the second ‘‘Made in Libya’’ edition in Niamey, Niger progressing (libyaherald.com)
Olive Oil:
Libya gains accreditation to export olive oil to the rest of the world
Seminar on improving quality of Libyan olive oil to comply with international standards
Libyan olive oil wins gold and silver in U.S. olive oil competition (libyaherald.com)
Libyan non-oil exports reach US$ 3.1 billion, headed by dates, olive oil and fish (libyaherald.com)
Libyan olive oils win three prizes at the Japan Olive Oil Prize 2023 (libyaherald.com)
First National Olive Oil Prize launched (libyaherald.com)
Libyan olive oil from Gharian wins two international prizes during May (libyaherald.com)
Libya’s Libico olive oil from Gharian wins another international prize (libyaherald.com)
Libyan olive oils win prizes at Berlin awards – plans to increase production | (libyaherald.com)
Libico olive oil exported to Italy | (libyaherald.com)
Libya organizes non-oil exports conference – Tripoli, 16-17 March | (libyaherald.com)
Libya considering allowing fish exports to EU | (libyaherald.com)
Libyan dates exported to Morocco through Benghazi port | (libyaherald.com)
Libya takes first steps towards exporting fish to Europe | (libyaherald.com)
Oil and olive oil fair opens in Tripoli | (libyaherald.com)
Never mind the oil, what about the olive oil? | (libyaherald.com)
Eighth Libyan Dates and Associated Industries exhibition opens in Tripoli | (libyaherald.com)
