Official government website of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
The sessions discussed modern methods for combating the "red" palm weevil and the possibility of obtaining safe food products.
Studies at the International Date Palm Conference at the University"The Kingdom is the second largest producer of dates, with about 15% of production."
Media and Communication Center:
The results of the study presented by Dr. Abdelkader Boufrassawi, a professor at Houari Boumediene University of Science and Technology, at the Second International Date Palm Conference currently held at the university, proved that the Islamic world in Africa and Asia is the main producer of dates globally. He pointed out that the number of date-producing countries in the region is 13, producing 95% of the total global date production.
Boufrasawi added during his presentation of the study submitted to the conference titled "Comprehensive Talk on Dates," that Egypt ranks first in date production with 18%of the global production, while Saudi Arabia ranks second with 15%, and Iran comes third with 14%. The UAE ranks fourth with 14%, followed by Algeria in fifth place with 9%, then Iraq in sixth place with 8%of the global date production.
The study indicated the diversity of date varieties, which exceed 1400 types. Cultivation began in the Euphrates basin more than 6000 years ago. Humans used it as food in ancient and modern times, and its leaves were used in some traditional industries, and its trunks for building villages. In addition to being a complete food due to its rich composition of iron and potassium, and its high content of vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates, which make it a high-energy fruit. Furthermore, the date represents a preferred food in the Prophetic tradition.
The halls of Qassim University witnessed, throughout the first day of the Second International Date Palm Conference, numerous scientific sessions being discussed all day long in both morning and evening periods, totaling six sessions.
The first sessions, chaired by Dr. Yusuf bin Abdullah Al-Sulaim, focused on the economics and marketing of dates, with a research paper presented by Dr. Hans van der Beek titled "Cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands in improving date production and quality.".
During this presentation, Dr. Beek showcased methods to assist companies and farmers in water management and reducing consumption by 70%. He also addressed methods of cooperation between the two countries in developing treatment methods for pests that threaten palm trees, most notably the "palm weevil." The presentation, given by Dr. Beek, also included how to improve irrigation techniques and increase the efficiency of domestic marketing.
Next, Professor Saud Al-Fiddah, Director General of the Agricultural Department at Saleh Al Rajhi Waqf Administration, presented a working paper on how to qualify projects and farms to obtain specialized international agricultural certifications, most notably the "Global G.A.P." certification. He pointed out that the most important goals of obtaining the certification are to ensure healthy and safe food products, provide a clear indication that the farm is fulfilling its mission in supporting food security locally and globally, and protect the environment from the negative impacts of agricultural production. The certification aims to build consumer confidence and serves as a passport for agricultural products to enter many countries around the world. .
Then, Dr. Ijaz Ashraf presented a paper titled "Farmers' Knowledge Level Regarding Processing, Production, and Marketing of Dates in Pakistan." This was followed by Dr. Shamim Ahmad, who presented a research paper titled "Marketing of Date-Based Food Products as Health Products." He discussed many ways in which food industries producing date-based products, such as juices, can be utilized. At the end of the session, a discussion was opened among the attendees regarding the topics presented in the session and to answer related inquiries.
The second session, entitled "Date Palm Production and Care Techniques," was attended by a number of researchers and experts in this field, including Dr. Emad Fouda, Dr. Gamal Abdel Hakim, Dr. Shahzada Arshad Khan, Dr. Ahmed Khan, Dr. Elhadi Adam, and Dr. Lubna Abdeljalil. The session was chaired by Dr. Abdulaziz bin Bani Al-Harbi.
where I presented research papers on the effect of date palm pollination techniques and methods on the quantity and quality of date production.
The third session discussed one of the most important pests that affect and damage date palms, which is the "red palm weevil." The session was chaired by Dr. Saleh bin Sulaiman Al-Huwairini and aimed to identify modern methods for combating this pest and ways to eradicate it. The main speaker, Dr. Frank Velt, presented modern methods used to detect the red palm weevil at an early stage before it spreads in date palms, to enable resistance in its early stages.
Dr. Mohamed Kamal Abbas, Dr. Bader Al-Sabah, Dr. Atef Abdelrazzak, and Dr. Abdelilah Abdelmonem also presented their scientific papers, which studied and analyzed the "red palm weevil," considered an edible insect, a traditional food in several countries, and of high nutritional value with a high proportion of fats, protein, and minerals.
The fourth session, chaired by Dr. Nasser bin Saleh Al-Ghamiz, discussed date palm production and care techniques, the future of investment in the date industry, date palm products and food security, and the latest developments in date palm cultivation and related industries. It also covered methods for their care to achieve the highest possible productivity and maximum benefit for farmers and companies interested in date palms. Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Hamdan spoke about the most important possible ways for a better future for investment in the date industry and date palm products to achieve a type of food security, as the date palm can fill a significant gap in global food shortages if optimally exploited.
While Dr. Yousef Al-Fheid discussed how to determine and estimate the field water requirements and crop coefficients for palm trees using "lysimeters" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to save water used in palm cultivation and achieve the highest yield of dates with the least amount of water, which contributes to increasing the area used for palm cultivation and benefiting from every drop of water to increase the number of palm trees in the Kingdom.
Dr. Khalid Mohammed Houldar discussed pollination methods for the most important palm varieties in the Kingdom, the duration of receptivity for pollination of female flowers of the Kingdom's most important palm varieties, and the effect of water on increasing date production.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Jamdan, Dr. Abeer Abdulkarim, Dr. Ahmed Mahrous, and Dr. Hassan Oweis participated in the session.
The conference sessions continued in the afternoon, with the fifth session witnessing discussions on palm product manufacturing technology. It was chaired by Dr. Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Rameyan and included the participation of Dr. Tarek El-Adawy, Dr. Khalifa Al-Riyahi, Rehab Abdullah, Dr. Sayed Attia, and Adel Ahmed with their scientific papers.
The research papers addressed the most important recent developments in this field, which is witnessing noticeable progress day by day, as dates have become a basic input in many food products and a core component of dining tables in many countries around the world. The session was chaired by Dr. Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Ruwaiyan, where Dr. Adel Mahmoud presented a comparative analysis of date palm fruit drying methods and the effect of sunlight on fruiting times.
The first day's sessions of the conference concluded with the sixth session, which was dedicated to discussing the topic of date palm pests and their control methods. This aspect received great attention from the conference organizers, scientists, and specialists in the study of palm pests, due to the severity of these pests on the entire date palm cultivation process. They can cause farm collapse, reduced productivity, and crop damage.
The session was chaired by Dr. Ahmed bin Ali Al-Ruqaiba, with the participation of Dr. Mawlood Ghadban, Dr. Masoud bin Sassi, Dr. Siham Maashia, and Dr. Khalid Al-Hudaib.
Dr. Samah bint Mohammed Binshaban spoke about the effect of temperature, biological (vital), and demographic (population) factors on date palm cultivation, while Dr. Khalid Al-Hudaib spoke about methods for examining disease-resistant genes in some date palm varieties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that they can be developed and increased, which enhances the palm tree's ability to resist pests.
