The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies a leading
position among the countries producing dates. The
number of palm trees is about 8 711 185 out of a
world total of about 95 000 000 (Ministry of Agriculture,
Saudi Arabia, personal communication).
The Arabic countries represent the largest output of
the countries producing dates. Palm trees are useful
plants for human beings for their dates and also
because the dry trees are used for so many purposes.
Dates which are used in human nutrition are rich in
carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.