“Saudi tomatoes achieve high prices on the European market”

In February of this year, Saudi hydroponic grower Dava exported tomatoes from Saudi Arabia to Europe for the first time. Wissam Wissam Abdel Samad, Chief Commercial Officer of Dava, looks back on this success and the company's future prospects.

Wissam reports: “The winter season in the Saudi market is characterized by high field production, low prices and strong competition. We had to think about exporting to the European market during the winter season. In February 2024, we made our first trial shipment of 5 tons, followed by 5 consecutive shipments within a month until the end of March 2024. With this approach, we were able to achieve high prices and build customer loyalty, with the goal of exporting 1,500 tons to the European market by 2025.”

Although the commercial tests were time-limited due to the winter season in Saudi Arabia, Wissam says they were a commercial success. He explains: “With the support of Saudi Export and Saudia Cargo, it is very profitable to export to Europe in winter when local market prices are low. We have achieved high prices in the European market and customers have shown significant demand for our products, which is expected to increase in 2025.”

After this experience with 6 tomato shipments to Europe, Dava then launched new products, says Wissam. He adds: “A wide range of packaging products registered with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority was launched in April 2024. We offer innovative packaging options to preserve freshness and improve visual appeal for customers. We focus on achieving high production volumes in August, September and October. We currently have around 50 hectares spread across three projects running at full capacity.”

In addition to the European market in winter, Dava is opening up an export market in the Gulf States in summer. Wissam explains: “The GCC market is our target for summer 2025. We have already signed an agreement with Lulu Supermarket to start exporting DAVA products to Lulu stores across the GCC. We are also negotiating with Spinneys and Carrefour to expand our supplies to all their stores in the Gulf region.”

Wissam continues: “The summer season in the local market, with temperatures reaching up to 55°C, also presents major production challenges. However, demand in Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries is very strong from May to November. One of DAVA’s goals is to supply vegetables all year round, especially during the summer. We aim to contribute to self-sufficiency by producing a diverse range of products of exceptional quality using the latest technology, thus overcoming the challenges of farming in arid regions. We are fully committed to water conservation and the use of modern techniques, and aim to play a central role in the further development of the Saudi economy in line with the Vision 2030 initiative.”

The exporter summarizes: “In addition to tomatoes, we have also tested the cultivation of leaves and lettuce in our projects during extremely high temperatures in July. These varieties will soon be commercially available on the market.”

For more information:
Wissam Abdel Samad
DAVA Agricultural Co
Phone: +966 551081155
E-mail: [email protected]
www.dava.sa