Palm cultivation now covers about 10,377 dunams across Aqaba governorate, holding roughly 98,630 trees. Registered farms produced around 790 tons of dates in 2025.
اضافة اعلان
The trees are concentrated in three areas, Al-Quwaira, Wadi Araba and Aqaba city, and the gap between where the trees are and where the fruit comes from is the sector's defining feature at this stage.
Aqaba Agriculture Director Thaer Al-Rawajfeh told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the figures form a production and investment base for an emerging agricultural industry in the far south. The current picture does not reflect the sector's full capacity, according to Al-Rawajfeh, because large areas are planted with young trees that have not reached full commercial production.
Where the trees are, and where the dates come from
Al-Quwaira produced about 545 tons in 2025, roughly 69 percent of the registered total, from around 2,085 dunams holding some 28,280 trees.
Wadi Araba has the opposite profile. It carries the largest planted area at about 7,200 dunams and around 64,550 trees, close to two thirds of the governorate's palms, yet registered production reached only 195 tons.
Aqaba city accounts for about 1,092 dunams, 5,800 trees and 50 tons.
Age explains the disparity. Some registered farms hold trees two to three years old, while productive farms run to 32 years, according to Al-Rawajfeh, and the coming years should bring a tangible increase as newer plantings reach commercial fruiting.
Of the governorate's 98,630 palms, 86,181 are female, the trees that bear fruit.
Uneven across farms as well as regions
Production varies sharply between individual holdings. One farm recorded 200 tons, with others at 100, 70 and 50 tons, Al-Rawajfeh said. Some newer farms produced nothing at all, still waiting for their trees to reach productive age.
Farm sizes range from under 10 dunams to holdings extending across hundreds.
Barhi is the most prominent variety in Al-Quwaira and appears across Wadi Araba farms as well, alongside others. Some records list varieties as unknown, which Al-Rawajfeh flagged as a reason to keep updating and documenting variety data.
What comes next
Al-Quwaira leads on output. Wadi Araba holds the area and the young trees, positioning it for a larger role as its farms enter commercial production. Aqaba's farms supply the market now.
Al-Rawajfeh described the expansion as a real opportunity to develop date production and raise its competitiveness in the markets.
Source: Al-Ghad, reporting Jordan News Agency (Petra).
