Deglet Noor, or “date of light” in Arabic is among the most popular North African date varieties, which makes it among the most sought-after dates across the world. They are grown commercially in three countries: Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Mohamed Sadok defends the Tunisian date’s origin.

“Deglet Noor Dates are the most prized of Tunisian producers, and are a present we give to love-birds across the globe,” Sadok says. Sadok. “The season is started, but we’re thrilled that production in Tunisia is up in comparison to the prior season in spite of the challenges of climate. At a national level, Tunisia produced 328 thousand tonnes of Deglet Noor and more than 80% of all dates that were produced in Tunisia.”

Tunisia is in competition with its neighbours and its neighbors, particularly Algeria that produces 1.2 million tonnes of dates annually, greater than 50% of them are the Deglet Noor type. Sadok states, “Despite competition from Algeria We are able to export large quantities. This period, Tunisia exported nearly 115 thousand tonnes of Deglet Noor which is a testament to the quality of the demand. As volumes increase this year, I’m sure that the exports we produce is going to be better than ever.”

This is the reason for the huge popularity of Tunisian Deglet Noor when compared to the Algerian counterparts is that, as per Sadok, “Tunisian dates stand in their freshness all through the year. In Algeria the dates are picked earlier than they are in Tunisia and this forces Algerian producers to store their dates in fridges that are -20°C later in the year. In Tunisia it is common to pick dates up until the close of the season. This means that the dates are fresh for longer. True it is true that Algerian Deglet Noor is also very tasty however, we do benefit from ways to preserve it.”

In the realm of price the competition has forced prices to remain stable. Sadok declares, “This season our prices are up only in a small amount, due to the rise in the cost of production and particularly energy. The prices we offer are very efficient and Tunisian exports from Deglet Noor even fell in value by 3.7 percent last year.”

“At Cartagoexpo, we’ll be selling 1,000 tons of the finest Deglet Noor harvests this season. Our focus is on the European market that is well-versed and loves this particular variety due to the existence of a significant North African diaspora,” says Sadok.

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Mohamed Sadok

CarthagoExpo

Tel. : +216 21 143 905

Emai: carthagoexpo@gmail.com

Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies