Project Name：Date Palm Cultivation and Tissue Culture Consultant Dispatch Project (Saudi Arabia)

Project status：Projects in Operation

Cooperating Country：Saudi Arabia

Project Description：

The Republic of China dispatches consultants to the resident Taiwan Technical Mission to carry out agricultural technical assistance with Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the Agreement of Agricultural Cooperation between the Republic of China Government Represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian Government. The main tasks of the technical consultants of Taiwan Technical Mission include: 1. Understanding and assessing the annual needs of the Saudi partner agencies and formulating the annual work plan; 2. Providing project progress reports and final reports in accordance with project management procedures; 3. Delivering consultancy services based on the key focus areas of the project implementation. 

Project Objectives：

1. Understanding and assessing the annual needs of the Saudi partner agencies and formulating the annual work plan.

2. Providing project progress reports and final reports in accordance with project management procedures.

3. Delivering consultancy services based on the key focus areas of the project implementation. 

Executing Agency：

Taiwan Technical Mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia / Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Implementation Arrangement：

Major Achievements Completed as of June 2026

1.      Conservation of Endangered Date Palm Varieties

To support the conservation of agricultural biodiversity, the project assisted its partner institution in developing inflorescence culture technologies for two endangered date palm varieties. The successful application of these technologies in somatic embryo induction and propagation has resulted in the production of 1,500 somatic embryos to date this year, laying the groundwork for future acclimatization and reintroduction initiatives.

2.      Micropropagation and Commercial Cultivation of Valuable Date Palms

To enhance the supply of high-quality planting materials, the project supported the development of micropropagation protocols for three valuable date palm varieties, producing a cumulative total of 10,000 somatic embryos. To date, 990 seedlings have been distributed to local farmers for field cultivation and planted across a total area of 9.9 hectares, contributing to increased productivity and enhancing the economic value of date palm cultivation.

3.      Expansion of Tissue Culture Technologies Application

To promote the development of high-value crops, the project applied plant tissue culture technologies to the propagation of various species, including blackberries, strawberries, damask rose (for essential oil), and bananas.

To date, more than 466,000 tissue-cultured seedlings have been supplied to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and local farmers in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the commercial viability and scalability of plant tissue culture technologies.

4.      Strengthening Germplasm Conservation and Management

To safeguard agricultural genetic diversity, the project continued to maintain a germplasm gene bank and conserve 50 date palm germplasm accessions as well as four potato varieties, laying the groundwork for future research and agricultural development.

5.      Enhancing Capacity Building and Professional Advisory Services

To promote Saudi Arabia’s capacity in plant tissue culture, the project has been maintaining a training program for one research and technical staff, with hands-on instruction focused on damask rose tissue culture, contributing to the development of local technical expertise and enhanced the application of tissue culture technologies.

The project also provided consultancy services to the National Agriculture and Animal Resources Research Center on agricultural production, extension service, scientific research, and agricultural development. As of June 2026, a total of 21 consultation services had been delivered, facilitating technical exchange and strengthening institutional cooperation.

Project Contact：Mr. Yu

Phone：+886-2-2873-2323 Ext.6039

E-mail：t.c.yu@icdf.org.tw

Projected Benefits：

Assist in advancing tissue culture techniques for date palms in Saudi Arabia, thereby enhancing the quality and yield of date palm production.

Mission：Taiwan Technical Mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia