NEW DELHI: Saudi dates are becoming increasingly popular in India, dry fruit traders and the Kingdom’s regulator say, as Indian buyers look for healthier alternatives to sugar and better-quality fruit than the Iranian dates that used to dominate the market. Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Palms and Dates, the government body responsible for developing the Kingdom’s date industry, said earlier this month that exports to India rose 25 percent in 2025 from a year earlier, “yielding numerous benefits for the sector and supporting its expansion into further global markets.”
