Ethiopia is preparing a major expansion of its date palm industry, targeting 25,000 hectares over the next decade as the government seeks to reduce imports and build an export-oriented agricultural business. The plan would more than quadruple cultivated area from about 6,000 hectares and position dates for regional and international markets.

The Ministry of Agriculture unveiled the strategy during the second International Date Palm Festival, held Sept. 20-22 in Semera, Afar region, according to local media reports. The government wants to build production capacity large enough to generate domestic surpluses, while improving the systems needed to organize growers and move commercially produced dates into export markets.

Building a commercial industry

The strategy goes beyond expanding plantations. Authorities plan to map suitable land, strengthen institutional capacity and organize growers into cooperatives, while increasing access to high-performing planting materials produced through tissue-culture laboratories.

The government also plans to promote drip irrigation and develop processing, storage, packaging and marketing infrastructure alongside production.

That infrastructure push could determine whether Ethiopia turns its agricultural potential into a viable export industry.

The Agriculture Ministry estimates that between 500,000 and 700,000 hectares of land are suitable for date palms, yet only about 1.2% of that potential is currently being used. Even the 25,000-hectare target would leave most suitable land untouched.

Demand creates export opportunity

Ethiopia is entering the expansion as the global date market continues to grow. Fortune Business Insights valued the market at $32.7 billion in 2025 and projects it will reach $34.5 billion in 2026 and $55.58 billion by 2034, representing average annual growth of 6.14%.

The Middle East and Africa accounted for 85.28% of the market in 2025.

Rising demand for foods and snacks viewed as healthy, along with greater awareness of dates’ nutritional qualities, is supporting market growth.

For Ethiopia, the opportunity is less about land availability than commercial execution: farmers will need reliable planting material, water-efficient production, postharvest facilities and routes into established regional and international markets.

Agriculture seeks new revenue

A larger date industry could eventually add another export stream to Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, which generated $4.55 billion in foreign currency during the 2025/2026 fiscal year.

Coffee remains the dominant contributor, accounting for $3.1 billion, leaving the government seeking additional agricultural products capable of generating foreign exchange and supporting rural incomes.

The scale of the date palm plan reflects that ambition. Ethiopia has vast areas identified as potentially suitable for cultivation, but converting that land into productive orchards will require sustained investment and coordinated development.

The next decade will determine whether the 25,000-hectare target becomes a commercial export base or remains largely an agricultural expansion plan.