RIYADH: The supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, on Sunday inaugurated the Kingdom’s annual date distribution project. Al-Rabeeah said: “We are happy to meet again on a day of giving from the Kingdom of humanity, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “King Salman has recently sponsored the third Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum. A few days before that, the king and the crown prince gave directives that Saudi Arabia must be present under the leadership of KSrelief and several Saudi authorities to help those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.” Al-Rabeeah said that during the last few years, the Kingdom has been leading the top five countries in the volume of humanitarian aid at the international level. Last year, it was at the forefront of international development aid. “We are witnessing another day of giving and humanity, as the Kingdom presents an agricultural symbol and a blessed fruit — the date.” Al-Rabeeah hopes to reach 72 countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. The weight of this year’s dates set for distribution exceeds 19,000 tons, of which 4,000 tons will be provided through the strategic partner, the World Food Programme, at a total cost of SR136 million ($36 million) benefiting 14 million people. Al-Rabeeah gave thanks to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the WFP, and other KSrelief partners in this program such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and the National Center for Palms and Dates. UNWFP representative, Mohammed Al-Ghunaim, said that dates are the most important sources of food and economic resources in the Kingdom and are considered a strategic national product representing hospitality in Saudi society. He said the palm tree is a national symbol and a major component of the Kingdom’s official emblem. He said Saudi Arabia has more than 31 million palm trees that produce approximately 1.5 million tons of dates a year, making it the world’s second biggest producer. Al-Ghunaim said the Kingdom was known for its international aid. He added that the Kingdom has been delivering and distributing 4,000 tons of dates a year annually since 2002, bringing the total distributed through the initiative so far to 84,000 tons, delivered to 130 international stations. The WFP representative extended his sincere gratitude to King Salman, the crown prince and KSrelief. This date distribution initiative comes as part of the humanitarian role that the Kingdom plays through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, to support brotherly and friendly countries.