ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF INDICATORS OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF SAUDI DATE EXPORTS

This study analysed the competitiveness indicators of Saudi exports of dates using econometric analysis and competitiveness indicators. The Republic of Yemen was found to rank first in importing Saudi dates, followed by the United Arab Emirates, then by Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, Somalia, Lebanon and Qatar. A clear discrepancy existed in the average export prices of Saudi dates between the various importing countries, where the average export price ranged between a minimum of $559.9/tonne; Syria had an upper limit of $4,368.2/tonne for South Africa. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoyed a competitive advantage in exporting dates to South Africa, followed by the Emirates, Pakistan, Jordan, Djibouti, Turkey and Syria. The geographical concentration coefficient for each of the quantity and value of Saudi exports of dates was approximately 0.40 and 0.37 for each during 1990-2018. A 10% change in the competitiveness of Saudi dates, expressed in the rate of the actual performance of the foreign date trade, led to a change in the same direction of the quantity of Saudi exports of dates by 3.8%. The study recommends increasing the competitiveness of dates in international markets and preserving markets where in the Kingdom enjoys a competitive capacity for its agricultural exports.