Tunisian date export revenues reached 687.1 million dinars during the first seven months of the 2024/25 season (ending April 2025), which is a 4.3% decrease on the same period of the previous season (717.7 MD), according to data published by the National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).
Between the start of the season in October 2024 and the end of April 2025, 107.9 thousand tons were exported, compared with 114.7 thousand tons during the same period last year — a 6% drop. The ‘Deglet Nour’ variety alone accounted for 85.4% of total exports.
The average price for the first seven months of the current season was TND 6.37 /kg, with the ‘Deglet Nour’ variety fetching TND 7 /kg.
In April 2025, the average date price was TND 5.95 /kg, an increase of 4.1% on April 2024.
In terms of destination, the European Union (EU) accounted for the largest share (41.4% of export volume), followed by Africa (26%) and Asia (21.6%).
Morocco was the leading importer of Tunisian dates during the first seven months of the 2024/25 season, accounting for 20.7% of exports, followed by Italy (11%) and France (8.2%).
By the end of April 2025, exports of organic dates had reached 5.4 thousand tons in volume, worth around 48.9 million dinars.
Compared with the same period the previous year, exports of organic dates increased slightly by 0.4%, while receipts fell by 21.6%.
However, organic dates accounted for less than 5% of the total volume of date exports (all types).
The average price of organic dates is TND 9.03/kg. This varies according to the type of date: TND 8.30/kg for conventional organic dates; TND 9.87/kg for products derived from organic dates; and TND 2.71/kg for industrial organic dates.
Germany remains the leading destination for organic dates, accounting for 30% of the export volume. It is followed by the Netherlands (14%) and France (10%).
Tunisia second largest exporter and third in terms of revenue
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published a list of the ten largest producers and exporters of dates worldwide.
Tunisia ranks second in the world in terms of quantities exported (130,307 tons) and third in terms of revenue ($244.75 million).
The UN agency points out that global date production covers an area of more than 1.09 million hectares, with an estimated annual production of over 8.5 million tons of almost 5,000 varieties of dates worldwide.
The two main production areas are Asia, accounting for 55.8% of global production, and Africa, accounting for 43.4%. Arab countries alone produce 77% of the world’s dates — around 6.6 million tons per year — and are home to almost 160 million date palms. Israel is also a major producer and exporter of dates.
According to the Friends of Al-Aqsa, over 50% of Israeli dates are exported to Europe, with the UK being the second largest importer.
