Riyadh, November 10, 2022, SPA -- Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dr. Qu Dongyu, accompanied by the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Organization for the Near East and North Africa, Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Waer, visited today the National Center for Palms and Dates in Riyadh, where they were received by the Center’s CEO, Dr. Mohammed Al-Nuwairan, and its senior staff. The FAO Director-General praised the Kingdom's outstanding palm and date industry development as well as the variety of products made from dates, noting that these factors encourage the sustainability of natural resources and foster industry growth and innovation. Saudi Arabia is the world leader in the export of dates, with exports to 113 different countries totaling over SAR1.2 billion in 2021. --SPA 21:24 LOCAL TIME 18:24 GMT 0032 www.spa.gov.sa/w1811852