AMMAN — Aqaba’s date palm sector is emerging as a driver of agricultural growth and economic diversification in southern Jordan, with expanding orchards creating opportunities for food processing, investment and domestic and international marketing.

 

Date palm cultivation in Aqaba Governorate covers about 10,377 dunums and includes approximately 98,630 trees, of which 86,181 are female, according to data from the Aqaba Directorate of Agriculture.

 

Registered farms produced about 790 tonnes of dates in 2025, with production concentrated in Quwayra, WadiAraba and Aqaba city.

 

Aqaba Agriculture Director Thaer Rawajfeh told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the figures provide a strong production and investment base for developing the sector.

 

He noted, however, that current production figures do not fully reflect the sector’s potential, as large areas have been planted with young trees that have yet to reach commercial production.

 

“The expansion in cultivated land and the growing number of registered palm trees present an opportunity to increase production and strengthen the competitiveness of Aqaba’s dates in local and international markets,” Rawajfeh said.

 

Quwayra currently accounts for the largest share of recorded production. Its registered farms produced about 545 tonnes in 2025, representing nearly 69 per cent of Aqaba Governorate’s total registered output.

 

The area cultivated with date palms in Quwayra covers about 2,085 dunums and contains approximately 28,280 trees. The area has a diverse range of varieties, with Barhi among the most prominent.

 

Farm sizes vary widely, ranging from holdings of less than 10 dunums to large estates covering hundreds of dunums.

 

Wadi Araba has the governorate’s largest cultivated area, covering about 7,200 dunums and containing approximately 64,550 palm trees. However, registered farms there produced about 195 tonnes in 2025.

 

Rawajfeh attributed the disparity between cultivated area and production largely to the age of the trees and the stage of development of individual farms.

 

Some trees are only two or three years old and have not yet entered commercial production, while others are as old as 32 years and are already producing substantial yields, he said.

 

The age profile of the orchards points to the possibility of a significant increase in production in the coming years as younger trees reach full fruiting capacity, Rawajfeh added.

 

Within Aqaba city, date palm cultivation covers about 1,092 dunums and includes roughly 5,800 trees. Registered farms in the area produced approximately 50 tonnes in 2025.

 

Production remains uneven among farms. According to directorate records, one farm produced about 200 tonnes, while others recorded yields of 100, 70 and 50 tonnes. Some newer farms recorded no production during the season because their trees had not yet reached productive maturity.

 

Barhi remains one of the principal varieties cultivated in Quwayra and Wadi Araba, alongside several other types. Some records, however, continue to classify varieties as “unknown”, highlighting the need for continued updating and documentation of agricultural data.

 

Rawajfeh said Quwayra’s current production lead is expected to remain significant, while Wadi Araba’s larger cultivated area and substantial number of young trees could enable it to assume a greater role in the governorate’s future date production.

 

With established orchards expanding alongside thousands of younger trees approaching commercial maturity, Aqaba’s date palm sector is gradually developing beyond traditional agriculture into a broader economic activity encompassing production, processing, investment and marketing.

 

Jordan was expected to produce 36,000 tonnes of dates in 2025, according to Anwar Haddad, head of the Jordan Dates Association.

 

Speaking to Al Mamlaka, Haddad said that Jordan accounts for approximately 14 per cent of global Medjool date production.

 

Global annual production of the premium variety ranges between 200,000 and 250,000 tonnes, he said.

 

Haddad added that the number of date palm trees in the Kingdom is projected to reach one million within the next two years, citing the quality of Jordanian dates as a key factor behind the sector’s growth.

 

While stressing the industry’s potential to bolster the agricultural sector, he warned that it continues to face significant challenges, particularly water scarcity and a shortage of skilled labour.