Consumption patterns change drastically in Muslim countries during the month of Ramadan, and one fruit that benefits from Ramadan dietary trends is the date. Mr. Ramadan Elsayyad, of Egyptian producer Palm Hills Dates, explains: "During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking during the daylight hours, which makes pre-sunshine and post-sunset meals very important. This encourages the consumption of hydrating and balanced foods that are high in nutritional value, rich in fiber and carbohydrates, and which provide quick energy while being easy to digest."
"Dates tick all these boxes and their consumption during Ramadan increases considerably. This is a religious and dietary tradition that Muslims have followed for centuries. However, more recently, we are also seeing date consumption becoming a habit adopted more and more throughout the year and by a broad demographic, not just Muslims."
Ramadan adds, "So every year we see a strong growth in the dates market during Ramadan, especially in Turkey, Malaysia, Morocco and the rest of North Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Gulf countries, but also in European countries with large Muslim populations, such as Russia and the CIS countries."
The dates industry is very diverse, with many competing origins and varieties, says Ramadan, "In the high-end segment of the global market, Medjool dates still hold the top spot on the podium. The low-end and intermediate market has several varieties, produced mainly in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Tunisia: Saiedi, Bofkous, Sayer, Mazafati, Sukkari, Khalas, Mabroum, khudri, and Deglet nour..."
How is the international market shared between the different origins? "There is obviously competition between producers and varieties, but other parameters come into play, such as agricultural resources, logistics, geographical and cultural proximity, the importance of the tourism sector, and other industries. In addition, some countries have trade agreements that designate certain origins to certain regions, and this is often based on trade and common interests."
Ramadan gives as an example the European market: "Europe favors origins with which it has trade agreements, as this reduces the cost of dates, and other parameters are decisive for this market such as growing conditions, giving preference to countries with hot weather and low humidity. The logistical parameter is obviously determining, shipping to Turkey takes a week for Egyptian producers, while delivery in the Far East takes a month."
In the midst of this competition, many origins strive to stand out and establish their flagship varieties as default consumer choice, such as Medjool, Deglet Nour, Mazafati, and others. For the producer, the competition among varieties is positive "it is great because it encourages innovation and gives a much-needed choice to consumers, it also helps to foster a spirit of competition, which leads to better quality and better prices for end consumers. Ultimately, having a wider choice of date varieties helps promote diversity and a healthy, sustainable market."
However, for the producer, the actual competition is between producers rather than between varieties: "each of the varieties has its own structure, its own shape, its own nutritional contribution, and its own cost, so I think it is more appropriate to talk about competition between producers rather than between varieties". According to the grower, the way for producers to stand out depends on how they the month of Ramadan, as an opportunity to make quick margins, or to promote their produce.
"We are committed to the second vision. We see the Ramadan period as an opportunity to offer frequent discounts and promotional offers to build customer loyalty while ensuring secure and efficient payment methods. We place a lot of importance on the quality of our products, especially since we are in the high-end market with our Medjool line, and we stand out from the competition thanks to our products that support a longer shelf life, and our ecological and food-friendly packaging solutions, adapted to family consumption but also individual consumption, which is quite rare among our competitors. We also offer shorter delivery times, which is crucial since the lunar month of Ramadan is each year 11 days closer to the harvest period. Finally, our teams offer excellent customer service and support must always remain a priority".
The Egyptian producer, therefore, chooses to "minimize profits to gain more market share". Minimizing profits does not only mean promotional offers but also bearing increasing costs. "Supply chains are currently complicated and expensive. For example, delivery to Russia requires additional costs related to insurance, and we are keen not to put this burden on customers."
