Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Participates in the Fifth Session of the International Date Council in Riyadh
Professor Ismat Qureshi Abdullah, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, met with Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Executive Director of the Council, on the sidelines of his participation in the Fifth Session of the International Date Council in Riyadh, which was held yesterday.
Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali Othman also participated in the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister expressed his gratitude for the invitation to participate in the Fifth Session of the International Date Council in Riyadh, praising the excellent organization of the event.
His Excellency the Minister highlighted the importance of the date exhibition held by the Council in Sudan (Northern State) last October, as well as the related training course, both of which aimed to support date cultivation and processing and facilitate the exchange of expertise among member states.
He also reviewed the obstacles facing the date sector in Sudan, including traditional farming practices, weak infrastructure, and the need to develop value chains. He added that these obstacles have prevented Sudan from exporting dates despite its abundant production. He expressed his hope for a partnership with the International Date Council to help find solutions to these obstacles and lead to the development of this sector in Sudan.
For his part, the ambassador reiterated his thanks to the Princess for hosting and organizing the current session of the International Date Council. He noted that the two sister countries, in confirmation of their keenness to strengthen their relationship, have reached an agreement to develop cooperation mechanisms between them by adopting the Supreme Strategic Coordination Council as the highest-level mechanism for managing bilateral relations. He added that this development will positively impact all areas of cooperation between the two countries, including the date sector.
Princess Sarah, for her part, affirmed that the Council has developed its previous work strategy and is striving to implement initiatives aimed at advancing the date sector in member states.
She added that the Council, in coordination with all its members, will work to assist Sudan in the date sector, noting that the Kingdom will also provide bilateral assistance to Sudan within the framework of the two countries’ developing relations.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to continue coordination and cooperation and to intensify consultations in order to support and revitalize this important sector.