The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has donated 50 tons of dates to the government of Maldives.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been donating date packs to the Maldivian government, during the fasting month of Ramadan each year.

Minister of Islamic Affairs of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed revealed that the Maldives has received the 50 tons of dates that the Saudi Arabian government gifts every year for Ramadan. The ministry received the donation.

Noting that the distribution of dates will be completed before Ramadan, Minister Shaheem said that this time, some of the dates will also be given to associations that want to run iftar programs at mosques.

Every year, the Islamic Ministry undertakes the task of distributing the dates gifted by Saudi Arabia to coincide with Ramadan.

As such, the Islamic Ministry distributes dates to residents of Malé, Hulhumalé and Vilimalé.

The distribution of dates across other islands is carried out by the councils. One packet of dates is issued to each household, after checking the national identity card of the person receiving the dates.

Saudi Arabia donated 55 tons of dates to the Maldives for this year’s fasting month. The Saudi government donated 50 tons of dates to the Maldivian government, and the remaining five tons were donated by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.

In 2023, the kingdom gifted 25,000 packs of dates to the Maldivian government. In the process of distributing the date packs to households, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs prioritized the most vulnerable households after thorough analysis.

Saudi Arabia donated 25 tonnes of dates to the Maldivian government in 2022 as well as the year before.