Strawberry season is at its peak, and one of Israel’s familiar pastimes, especially on weekends, is family strawberry picking. It turns out this is not unique to Israel. In Arab countries as well, strawberry picking is a family experience, and in Saudi Arabia the season this year has been enhanced by a new development promoted by the kingdom.
One of the fruit’s nicknames in Arabic is “red gold,” partly because of its high price. But strawberries are no longer only red. According to recent Saudi media reports, the Hail region has recorded a significant achievement with the development of white strawberries, for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
A report on the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya channel said the move “reflects the rapid development of the national agricultural sector and its ability to adopt innovation and integrate modern technologies.” It added that the achievement diversifies agricultural production by introducing varieties with high economic and nutritional value, improving sustainability and efficiency.
A farm owner in Hail said production of white strawberries was made possible through cooperation with the University of Florida in the United States. Fahad Al-Hasani, director general of the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s Hail branch, said the white strawberry reflects the advanced level of local agriculture and supports the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, by boosting production efficiency, diversifying income sources and strengthening reliance on high-quality national produce. White strawberries are less common than red ones but are already available in several countries, including Israel.
The Hail region is already known as a major center for strawberry cultivation in Saudi Arabia, with farms that attract local and international visitors and offer a full family experience, including hydroponic strawberry picking, seating areas, coffee corners, children’s games, retail products and art stalls. A TikTok account called “Hail Strawberry Farms” has recently posted videos inviting the public to pick the new white strawberries.
The emir of the Hail region, Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, visited the farm on the 8th of the month to inaugurate the new crop. He praised the Saudi leadership’s support for agriculture and said Hail is among the most important agricultural regions in the country, adding that white strawberry production reflects both the kingdom’s status and Hail’s pioneering role.
Family strawberry picking is also common elsewhere in the region. In recent days, videos from Egypt and Jordan have circulated on social media. On the 11th of the month, reports marked the start of the harvest season near the Egyptian city of Ismailia. While there is no cultivation of white strawberries there, Egyptian media said the season has become an economic and tourism event, thanks to cooperation between official bodies, youth initiatives and investors, placing Ismailia on the map of global agricultural exports and tourism. The governor said the area has become a “quality brand” for strawberry cultivation, trusted by foreign markets and providing jobs for local residents.
In Jordan, a farm called Fresh Strawberries has posted videos inviting the public to its site on the road between Amman and Madaba. “Don’t buy strawberries from the market, pick them yourself,” one post read. The farm markets its strawberries as grown “with a European touch, on Jordanian soil,” referring to hydroponic cultivation. The method is also used in Saudi Arabia and Israel. The farm sells its strawberries for five Jordanian dinars per kilogram, about 22 shekels.