The second cargo · HS 080410 · UN Comtrade 2023

The dates lane

A smaller trade than polymer by a long way, and a different one: seasonal, reefer, and already moving through Dubai. It gives an Overseas Partner a second reason to answer, in the months polymer is quiet.

Read the size of this before you use it

GCC date exports are — a year against polymer's —. That is — times smaller. It is not a second polymer and should never be presented as one.

What it is: a second cargo for the same partner, moving on the opposite season, in reefer and ambient boxes rather than bulk bags — and one where the Gulf is the origin the world buys from. The argument is the same as polymer's: sold EXW and FOB, so the buyer appoints the forwarder, and every tonne needs someone at the Gulf end.

Source: UN Comtrade 2023, HS 080410 (dates, fresh or dried), filtered server-side to clean aggregates.

Who ships it

The Gulf first, then everyone the Gulf competes with

Origin	Value	kt	$/kg

The finding that makes this freight

The UAE, 2023

Who buys it — and whether we have anyone there

Every country buying GCC dates. A red zero is a market taking Gulf fruit with no WorldZone partner at the far end.

#	Importer	Value	kt	$/kg	GCC sources	Polymer too	Our partners

Whitespace in both cargoes

Zero partners, and demand in polymer and dates. One partner, two reasons, two seasons — this is the list to work first.

#	Country	Region	Polymer	Dates	Together	On file

What this data is, and is not