Aqaba, Sept. 6 (Petra) -- Aqaba's date palm industry is expanding across more than 10,000 dunums, with nearly 100,000 trees now planted across the southern governorate and production approaching 800 tonnes, as younger plantations prepare to enter commercial production.
The growing footprint of date farming across Quweira, Wadi Araba and Aqaba is strengthening the sector’s investment potential and creating opportunities for food processing and wider access to domestic and export markets.
Data from the Aqaba Agriculture Directorate show that date palms cover approximately 10,377 dunums, comprising 98,630 trees, of which 86,181 are female. Registered farms produced 790 tonnes of dates in 2025.
Aqaba Agriculture Director Thaer Rawajfeh told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that current production represents only part of the sector’s potential, as large numbers of recently planted trees have yet to reach full commercial production.
He said the expanding cultivated area and number of registered trees provide a solid base for developing the date industry and improving its competitiveness, particularly as younger plantations mature over the coming years.
Quweira currently accounts for the largest share of Aqaba’s date production, with registered farms producing 545 tonnes in 2025, or about 69 percent of the governorate’s total.
Date plantations in the area cover around 2,085 dunums and contain approximately 28,280 trees. Farms range in size from holdings of about 10 dunums to large-scale plantations extending across hundreds of dunums.
Barhi is among the main varieties cultivated in Quweira, alongside other varieties grown across farms of different sizes and ages.
While Quweira leads in current output, Wadi Araba accounts for the largest share of land devoted to date palms.
Plantations there extend across approximately 7,200 dunums and contain around 64,550 trees, while registered production stood at 195 tonnes in 2025.
Rawajfeh said the difference between Wadi Araba’s large cultivated area and its current output largely reflects the age of its plantations, with many trees still in the early stages of development.
Aqaba city, meanwhile, has approximately 1,092 dunums planted with around 5,800 date palms. Registered farms in the city produced about 50 tonnes last year.
Rawajfeh said tree age is a key factor behind the differences in production across the governorate. Some registered plantations are only two to three years old, while trees at established producing farms are as old as 32 years.
The large number of younger palms means production could increase significantly as more trees reach commercial fruit-bearing age, particularly in Wadi Araba.
Production is also concentrated among farms at different stages of maturity. One registered farm produced 200 tonnes last year, while others recorded output of 100 tonnes, 70 tonnes and 50 tonnes. Some recently established plantations have yet to record any production.
Overall, Aqaba’s registered date output of 790 tonnes in 2025 was divided between 545 tonnes from Quweira, 195 tonnes from Wadi Araba and 50 tonnes from Aqaba city.
Barhi remains a prominent variety in plantations across Quweira and Wadi Araba, alongside several other varieties. Some agricultural records classify certain palms as "unknown," pointing to the need for further documentation and updating of varietal data.
With Quweira providing the bulk of current production and Wadi Araba holding the largest concentration of cultivated land and younger trees, the sector is positioned for further expansion as new plantations mature.
The growing production base also provides opportunities to develop activities beyond cultivation, including date processing and marketing, potentially expanding the crop’s contribution to agricultural investment and economic activity in southern Jordan.
//Petra// RZ
