skippersbrew.com – Ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, Indonesia has experienced a significant spike in date imports. The latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that in January 2025, the volume of date imports reached 16.43 thousand tons with a value of 20.68 million US dollars or around Rp335 billion.

Acting Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, revealed that Egypt is the main supplier of dates to Indonesia, with a total import of 10.15 thousand tons, which covers 61.8% of Indonesia’s total date imports. Apart from Egypt, other countries that contributed significantly were Saudi Arabia with 1.88 thousand tons (11.42%) and the United Arab Emirates with 1.76 thousand tons (10.71%).

This trend of increasing date imports has been going on since five months before Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, reflecting the community’s preparation to welcome the worship period. Dates are one of the commodities that are widely sought after during Ramadan, because they are often consumed when breaking the fast.

In addition to dates, Indonesia also increased its beef imports ahead of Ramadan. In December 2024, beef imports reached 27.2 thousand tons with a value of 101.4 million US dollars or around Rp1.66 trillion. The majority of beef imports came from Australia, followed by India, the United States, Brazil, and New Zealand. The increase in imports of commodities such as dates and beef is expected to meet the needs of the community during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, ensuring sufficient supply in the domestic market.