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Industry & energy

Date packing factory feasibility study

Latest regulatory change: 2026 · reviewed 2026-11-05

A factory that sorts, cleans and packs dates for the local market and export.

  • SAR 1.938 billionDate exports in 2025[4]
  • 241Date and dried fruit factories[3]
  • 121%Self-sufficiency in dates in 2024[6]

Latest regulatory and market changes

  1. 2018The National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD) launched the Saudi Dates quality mark, which requires factories to meet food safety requirements and undergo inspection visits.[1]
  2. 2025The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMAH) adopted regulatory requirements for factories inside and outside urban boundaries, requiring an industrial licence, an environmental permit and Civil Defence approval.[2]
  3. 2025The number of date and dried fruit factories reached 241, the largest category among agricultural product factories.[3]
  4. 2026Figures for 2025 were announced: date exports of SAR 1.938 billion, up 14.3% on 2024.[4]

Why now

  • Exports grow every year and have reached more than 125 countries.[5]
  • Production has exceeded 1.9 million tonnes from more than 37 million palm trees.[5]
  • Self-sufficiency in dates reached 121% in 2024, so surplus production needs packing and export.[6]

SAR 1.938 billionValue of Saudi date exports in 2025, up 14.3% on 2024.[4]

The idea and business model

A factory that receives dates from farms and sorts, cleans, sterilises and packs them in a range of weights and packages. Income comes from selling packed dates to retail, wholesale and export markets, and from contract packing for third parties.

Model: Production and sales

Project economics

Revenue formula

Tonnes packed per year×Average price per packed tonne×Capacity utilisation rate

Sales channels

  • Retail and supermarkets
  • Wholesale, gifts and corporate orders
  • Export

Largest cost items

  • Raw date purchases
  • Sorting, sterilisation and packing lines
  • Packaging materials
  • Salaries, refrigeration and storage

Decisive indicators we measure

  • Sorting loss rate
  • Packing cost per tonne
  • Capacity utilisation
  • Export share

Relevant authorities

  • Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA): food factory licensing and oversight
  • Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources: industrial licence
  • Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMAH): municipal requirements for factories
  • National Center for Environmental Compliance (NCEC): environmental permit
  • National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD): Saudi Dates mark

What needs your attention

  • Fluctuating raw date prices from season to season affect material costs.
  • Exporting requires food safety standards that meet international market requirements.
  • Competition among 241 existing factories in the same category.

What a Date packing factory study calculates for you

  • Line production capacity in tonnes
  • Cost per raw tonne by variety and season
  • Working capital for buying seasonal stock
  • Export requirements for target markets
  • Tonnes needed to break even

Every one of these figures appears in your study with its source and date, built on your location and capital, with a clear line between documented facts and assumptions.

Sources

Most sources are Saudi government and press pages in Arabic; titles are kept in their original language so you can find them.

  1. ما علامة التمور السعودية؟موسوعة سعودبيديا · 2023-04
  2. السعودية تعتمد اشتراطات تنظيمية للمصانع داخل وخارج النطاق العمرانيالاقتصادية · 2025-08
  3. 800 مصنع تنهض بالزراعة السعوديةالوطن · 2025-10
  4. السعودية تحافظ على الصدارة عالمياً في صادرات التمور للعام الرابعالمدينة · 2026-10
  5. السعودية الأولى عالمياً في صادرات التمور بـ1.94 مليار ريالعكاظ · 2026-10
  6. الإحصاء تنشر نتائج إحصاءات الأمن الغذائي 2024الهيئة العامة للإحصاء · 2025-12

Last reviewed: 4 November 2026. This page introduces the activity; detailed figures belong in the study.