Imports of Dates to Italy From Tunisia and Israel Are Increasing

Date consumption in Italy grows year after year, especially around Christmas, because it is customary for Italians to distribute Christmas baskets with dates during the holiday season. Furthermore, dates are now preferred by several demographic groups as a sugar substitute, particularly in the creation of power bars. In 2019, 53% of dates in the Italian market were imported from Tunisia for a total of USD 18.28M. Date imports increased by 27% YoY in 2021, hitting a record high of USD 41.66M. Recently, the demand for Israel's Medjoul variety dates increased in Italy. Therefore, in 2021, the imports of dates from Israel grew by 39% YoY while demand for Tunisian dates increased by 27% YoY. The latest available data for 2022 confirmed the growth trend, predicting an additional 10% growth for imported dates.