RIYADH: A delegation from the National Center for Palms and Dates has visited Alibaba Group Holding’s headquarters in China to boost Saudi date sales internationally, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The aim was to establish a partnership enabling 23 Saudi date companies to use Alibaba’s e-commerce platform to market Saudi dates in international markets. During the visit, a forum showcased companies from Saudi Arabia and China, and discussions were held to boost trade exchanges. Additionally, agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed to bolster Saudi date exports. This working visit is part of a collaboration between Saudi date companies and the Alibaba Group, following an agreement signed in Riyadh last December. There has been a 120 percent increase in Saudi date exports to China over the past year. The Kingdom exported dates worth SR644 million ($172 million) in the first quarter of 2024, marking a 13.7 percent rise compared to the corresponding period last year when exports amounted to SR566 million. Saudi Arabia exports dates to many countries. In some, such as Austria, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Germany and Canada, exports grew by more than 100 percent. Exports grew by 69 percent to Morocco, 61 percent to Indonesia, 41 percent to South Korea, 33 percent to the UK, 29 percent to the US, and 16 percent to Malaysia. Saudi Arabia has more than 36 million palm trees and an annual date production exceeding 1.6 million tons, which secures it the top rank in date exports. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture seeks to improve the quality of farm products by applying good agricultural practices and adopting quality standards in factories, SPA reported.