Saudi exports of dates increased by 37 per cent during the first 11 months of 2016 to reach about 90,000 tonnes, compared to about 66,000 tonnes in the same period of 2015, a report quoting the General Authority for Statistics said.

In 2016, some 20,000 tonnes of dates were exported from the Madinah region, representing about 22 percent of total Saudi exports of dates, said the Arab News report.

An estimated 9 million pilgrims and visitors took with them 45,000 tonnes of dates last year.