Medjool Dates by Origin: Egypt, Jordan and Palestine

Last updated: 2 November 2026

Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian Medjool are the same date variety. What differs between the three origins is the volume each produces, when the harvest starts, and how each packer names its sizes and grades. The safest way to compare offers is by grams per fruit, skin separation and moisture, not by the size name on the carton.

This page sets the three origins side by side. Every figure about Jordan and Palestine comes from a published source, linked next to it and listed at the end. Figures about Egyptian Medjool from PEI Trade are our own.

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Same variety, three origins

Medjool (also written Mejhoul or Majhoul) is a single date cultivar whose origin is the Tafilalet area of Morocco, according to a peer-reviewed paper in Acta Horticulturae (ISHS). It was introduced to California in 1927, and from there it spread to new growing regions (UC ANR). The same source warns that not every palm sold as Medjool is true to type, which is one more reason to judge fruit on its measured specification.

The main growing areas reported for the two neighbouring origins are:

• Jordan: the Jordan Valley, Azraq and Aqaba (FreshPlaza, Oct 2026).
• Palestine (West Bank): the Jordan Valley, around Jericho (Al-Quds, Feb 2026).

Medjool volumes by origin

No single official dataset compares the three origins. The figures below come from trade press quoting date boards, associations or individual companies, for different seasons, so read them as orders of magnitude rather than a ranking.

The Jordanian figure covers all dates, of which Medjool is the large majority. Jordan exports around 65% of its date crop (FreshPlaza, Oct 2026), and Palestinian producers name Turkey and the European Union as their main markets (FreshPlaza, Oct 2026).

Harvest timing and year-round supply

All three origins harvest Medjool in late summer and early autumn, and all three supply stored fruit after the harvest, so availability depends less on the calendar than on how much stored fruit remains.

Size names and gram bands by origin

We found no published national size standard for Medjool from the date boards of these origins. Size bands are set by each exporter, and the same name can cover different weights, as the published bands below show.

On these published bands, a Jumbo from the Jordanian exporter weighs 22–25 g, while the Palestinian exporter gives a single range of 15–27 g from small to super jumbo, so the same size name can mean different weights. Ask every supplier for the weight per fruit in grams, or the count of fruits per kilogram, and check it on arrival by weighing 100 fruits from several cartons.

Grade names and skin separation

Medjool grades are usually defined by skin separation, the degree to which the skin has lifted away from the flesh. Grade names and their limits differ between packers. Our own grades are:

• PEI Trade (Egypt): Premium 0–12%; Delight 12–45%; Classic 45–50%.

Two packers can both sell “Premium” with different limits. Ask for the skin-separation percentage behind each grade name, and whether it is measured on the fruit or as a tolerance across the lot.

Packs by origin

• Egypt (PEI Trade): 5 kg cartons, and 8 kg cartons of 16 × 500 g, 32 × 250 g or 8 × 1 kg packs.
• Jordan (one brand on the Jordan Export Portal): 500 g, 1 kg and 3 kg (Jordan Export Portal).
• Palestine (ExportCircle): 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg (exporter’s website).

Whatever the origin, ask how many cartons and tonnes of the pack you want fit into a 40 ft reefer, because that sets the real cost per kilogram landed.

Shipping documents by origin

• Egypt (PEI Trade): every Medjool shipment travels with a phytosanitary certificate, a fumigation certificate issued to the rules of the destination country and a certificate of origin, together with the bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list.
• Palestine: exporters list a Ministry of Agriculture health certificate, an official certificate of origin and a EUR.1 movement certificate (Al-Quds, Feb 2026).

Import and labelling rules differ by market, so confirm your own requirements with your customs broker before you order from any origin.

How to compare Medjool offers across origins

1. Grams per fruit: ask for the weight band of each size, not only its name.
2. Skin separation: ask for the percentage behind each grade, and whether it applies per fruit or across the lot.
3. Moisture: ask for the moisture specification and test it on arrival.
4. Crop and storage: ask whether the fruit is new crop or from cold storage, and which harvest it comes from.
5. Pack and load: compare the pack format and the cartons per 40 ft reefer.
6. Documents: list the documents and labelling your market requires, and check that the supplier provides each one.

Egyptian Medjool from PEI Trade

PEI Trade exports Egyptian Medjool by the container to registered importers: three grades defined by skin separation (Premium, Delight and Classic), six sizes from Babysmall to SuperJumbo plus a Mix of sizes, and 5 kg cartons or 8 kg cartons of 250 g, 500 g or 1 kg packs. A 40 ft high-cube reefer holds about 20 to 20.5 tonnes in 5 kg cartons. New-crop fruit is available from 1 August and stored fruit ships all year. We don’t publish a price list; every price is quoted per order.

Fruit weights by size, grade definitions, container loads and documents are set out in our Egyptian Medjool grades, sizes and packing guide.

Medjool origin FAQ

Request a Medjool quote

Tell us the grade, size, packing and destination port, with your delivery term (EXW, FOB, CFR or CIF by sea, or CIP by air), and we reply with a price for your exact specification.

Sources

• Bachri, “Origin of the Mejhoul cultivar”, Acta Horticulturae 1371, ISHS, 2023: ishs.org
• UC ANR, Topics in Subtropics, “Not all Medjool date plants grown in California are the same”: ucanr.edu
• FreshPlaza, Egypt Medjool harvest projection, 13 Jul 2026: freshplaza.com
• FreshPlaza, Palm Hills Dates on Egyptian Medjool sizes, Aug 2025: freshplaza.com
• FreshPlaza, Jordan date output and exports, citing the Jordan Dates Association, 5 Oct 2026: freshplaza.com
• FreshPlaza, Jordan Dates Association on the season, 2023: freshplaza.com
• FreshPlaza, Palestinian Medjool production estimate, 22 Oct 2026: freshplaza.com
• Al-Quds, Palestinian date exports, Feb 2026: alquds.com
• Petra Global Trade (Jordanian exporter), dates catalogue, 2024: catalogue PDF
• Jordan Export Portal, Medjool product listing: jordanexportportal.gov.jo
• ExportCircle (Palestinian exporter), Medjool sizes and packs: exportcircless.ps