Dates: How the Covid-19 pandemic affected date consumption patterns

This year, many people have resumed buying dates during Ramadan for home consumption as well as gifting and donating to mosques. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

Dates have been a crucial aspect of Ramadan for centuries and are often the first foods many Muslims eat when they break their daily fast.

This also means that sales of dates typically soar through the roof during Ramadan. But the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on many things and dates have not been excluded.

As a consequence, sales of dates fell dramatically last year in Malaysia.

“Last year, the actual sales of dates were very low and went down by 50%,” says Datuk Dr Ameer Ali Mydin, the managing director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad (Mydin).

Ameer says that date sales fell 50% last year as a result of the pandemic. This year, he says sales have picked up dramatically. — Filepic

This was compounded by a number of factors. For the past two years, many Malaysian Muslims have had to limit iftar (buka puasa) gatherings, festivities and even gifting mechanisms. This had a direct impact on overall countrywide date sales.

School teacher Fathiyah Mohamed, 39, for instance says that before the pandemic, she frequently bought dates to give away to family, friends and mosques. This practice fell by the wayside during the pandemic as she wasn’t able to see people in person.

“I used to buy so many boxes of dates. But during the pandemic, I wasn’t able to meet up with anyone, so last year, I definitely bought less dates than I normally would have,” she says.

Lawyer Ahmad Razif Mohd Sidek, 55, meanwhile says he didn’t buy dates last year at all for gifting and even reduced his own home consumption, as he prefers the tactile experience of choosing dates himself.

This year, Razif rushed to the supermarket to buy his favourite dates and says he is happy to be able to choose what he wants, as opposed to trying his luck and buying it online. — RAZIF SIDEK

“I am picky about dates and I like going to stores to select the best ones. At the height of the pandemic last year, I didn’t really go out so I didn’t buy any dates, except for my favourite Medjool and Deglet Noor variants, which I bought online for my own family’s iftar and sahur,” he says.

University lecturer Dr Maizatul Zolkapli, 44, thinks that the fact that prayer gatherings at mosques were restricted in the past two years probably also had a dramatic effect on the sales of dates, as many Muslims often break their fast with dates at mosques.

“Usually during Ramadan, people will gather at mosques and break fast together, often with dates donated by many generous people. Since there were restrictions on gatherings at mosques during the pandemic, I think this is one of the reasons why date sales fell,” says Maizatul.

Choosing dates is often a tactile experience that involves picking and selecting preferred options, which is why many people opted not to buy dates last year as they couldn't really go out and select what they wanted. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

Conversely, although sales of dates were on the decline during the Ramadan period last year, the pandemic has caused a seismic shift towards healthier eating, which has consequently resulted in an increase in Malaysians of all ethnicities consuming dates throughout the year for its rich nutritive value (it has antioxidant properties, is high in fibre and is calcium-rich, among others).

“Yes, we have seen many Malaysians who are non-Muslims buying and eating dates regularly once they realise it is very nutritious. Even I eat two dates a day, regardless of whether I am fasting or not,” agrees Ameer.

READ MORE > Dates: Healthy fruits for Ramadan

On the Ramadan front, thankfully things have returned to some degree of normalcy this year, and sales of dates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, according to Ameer.

“Sales have picked up and I think they will go back to 2019 levels. People haven’t been able to rejoice during the fasting month these past two years, so I think they are finally returning to their normal practices.

“This year, there will be a lot of buka puasa events, so this will also increase consumption of dates,” he says.

The sales figures are backed up by the experiences of Malaysians like communications associate Nazlin Amiruddin, 27, who says she has resumed buying dates as gifts this year.

Dates are ideal for gifting during Ramadan, but many people stopped gifting dates at the height of the pandemic as they couldn't actually meet friends and family in person. — Filepic

“Oh, I have definitely been gifting more dates this year. It’s so much easier to pass people boxes of dates when we meet in person, so I have been buying them for friends and family since before the start of Ramadan,” she says.

Razif too has gotten back into his usual routine of loading up on dates.

“I went to the supermarket to buy dates just before the fasting week started. This year, I really feel like I can celebrate Ramadan because I can choose and compare different dates instead of buying it sight unseen online,” he says gleefully.

Ironically, Ameer says that although sales of dates have shot up this Ramadan, there might actually be an overall shortage of dates this year, because of pressing logistics issues.

READ MORE > INTERACTIVE: Are Malaysians keeping up with the tradition of breaking fast with dates during Ramadan?

“Dates available in Malaysia normally come from countries like Tunisia and Saudi Arabia and there is a surplus of dates in those countries. But ironically, there will probably be a shortage of dates in Malaysia this year because internationally, there is a shortage of containers around the world, so a lot of shipments of dates are being cancelled because they cannot make it on time.

“Like for us, we are cancelling some of the shipments because if it cannot be sent now, there is really no point sending it later,” says Ameer.