Date imports beyond Middle East, how much comes from the US?

Even a decade and a half ago, Bangladesh’s date imports relied almost entirely on the Middle East. That assumption no longer fully holds true. Changes in food habits, year-round consumption and efforts to diversify the market have significantly broadened the sources of imports.

Take the picture from two decades ago. According to data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), in fiscal year 2005–06 dates were imported from only five countries.

Of those, 73 per cent came from Iran and nearly 22 per cent from the United Arab Emirates. The remaining three countries together accounted for just 5 per cent.

At that time, dates were largely visible in the market only during Ramadan. Annual imports stood at around 20,000–22,000 tonnes. The picture has since changed.

Growing health awareness and increased year-round consumption have pushed annual imports close to 100,000 tonnes. Dates from Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States now also find a place on iftar tables alongside those from the Middle East.

The latest NBR data show that last year Bangladesh imported 92,000 tonnes of dates from 23 countries. Of this, 88.59 per cent came from six Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Another 9.58 per cent came from four African countries, including Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria. The remaining nearly 2 per cent came from 13 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Japan.

In other words, while the market remains Middle East–centric, the diversity of sources is expanding rapidly. Between 15 and 20 varieties of dates are now available in the market.

The United States is one of the relatively new sources of date imports. Though the quantity remains small, the country ranks among the world’s top 20 producers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), nearly 10 million tonnes of dates were produced across 37 countries in 2024. The United States ranked 18th, with production of about 56,000 tonnes.

Bangladesh first imported dates from the United States on 18 October 2015. A 314-kg consignment was brought in through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Samia Enterprise of Mirpur, Dhaka. In fiscal year 2015–16, a total of 844 kg arrived in five consignments.

Imports have gradually increased since then. Ahead of the current Ramadan, nearly 47,000 kg of dates were imported from the United States in January alone. Uttara Fruits of Dhaka brought in three consignments, spending about $79,000; including freight and duties, the assessable value stood at around Tk 20 million. Importers paid roughly Tk 190 per kg in duties and taxes.

Dates imported from the United States are mainly the California-grown Medjool variety. Over the past decade, Bangladesh has imported about 313,000 kg from the country.

Raisul Islam, proprietor of Minhaj Enterprise, a date importer in Khatunganj, said Medjool dates dominate US exports to Bangladesh. Larger in size, they cater to a distinct market segment and are relatively more expensive.

Previously, Bangladesh did not feature prominently among destinations for US date exports. However, as imports have grown, the situation has changed. According to the United States International Trade Commission, Bangladesh ranked 28th among destinations for US date exports in 2024. In 2025, it climbed nine places to 19th.

Global trade in dates is substantial. FAO estimates show that in 2024 producing countries exported dates worth $2.3 billion (Tk 282.9 billion). The United States ranked 10th among exporters.

According to the US International Trade Commission, the country earned $123.8 million from date exports last year. Of that, exports to Bangladesh accounted for $166,000, or roughly Tk 20 million. In other words, although the Middle East continues to dominate the date market, Bangladesh is gradually diversifying its global sourcing, and the US has emerged as one of the new suppliers.

To expand US date exports to Bangladesh, US ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen and the embassy’s agricultural attaché Erin Covert visited retail outlets in Dhaka on Sunday.

Bangladesh imports more than $140 million worth of dates annually, and the import trade is growing at a rate of 15 per cent.