As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, dates are once again filling market stalls, bazaars and supermarket shelves across Türkiye, with official figures pointing to steadily rising demand and a sharp increase in both exports and imports in recent years.

For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of fasting from dawn to sunset marked by religious reflection, worship, charity and good deeds. This year's Ramadan is due to start this Thursday.

Socially, it often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast.

And dates, often referred to as a "blessed" fruit, are an indispensable part of this meal known as "iftar” in Arabic. Muslims also have a predawn meal, called "suhoor,” to hydrate and nurture their bodies ahead of the daily fast.

Known for their high fiber and natural sugar content, dates provide quick energy after long fasting hours and are rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and selenium.

Imports rise steadily

Data compiled from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show Türkiye’s date imports have climbed steadily in recent years.

Türkiye imported 49,040 tons of dates in 2021, 44,468 tons in 2022, 54,459 tons in 2023, 63,630 tons in 2024 and 67,093 tons in 2025, bringing the five-year total to 278,691 tons.

The import bill increased even more sharply, rising from $52.8 million in 2021 and $51.6 million in 2022 to $73.4 million in 2023, before surging to $103 million in 2024 and $133.7 million in 2025.

Overall, Türkiye spent about $414.5 million on date imports over the past five years.

Although dates are consumed year-round, demand peaks during Ramadan, when households typically buy in bulk and retailers expand offerings.

Exports hit 5-year high

Alongside growing imports, Türkiye has strengthened its role as a regional hub for processing, packaging and re-exporting dates. Between 2021 and 2025, exports totaled 48,847 tons worth $125.1 million.

Export revenues stood at $21.7 million in 2021, dipped slightly to $19.6 million in 2022, then rose to $23.6 million in 2023 and $28.1 million in 2024 before reaching a five-year high of $32 million in 2025.

In 2025, the top destinations for Türkiye’s date exports were the United States with $14.2 million, the United Kingdom with $6.7 million and Australia with $4 million.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons. The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.

The daily fast includes abstaining from all food and drink from dawn to sunset.

Muslims see various meanings and lessons in observing the fast. It’s regarded as an act of worship to attain God-conscious piety and one of submission to God. The devout see benefits, including practicing self-restraint, growing closer to God, cultivating gratitude and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.