On his 12-acre farm near Ariyakulam, 61-year-old farmer S Nizamuddin from the Dharmapuri district cultivates date palms. He has promoted date farming across the nation for more than ten years. Currently, Nizamuddin grows 32 distinct varieties of dates, and he encourages other farmers to do the same.
He has also been teaching farmers how to grow and export date palms for the past ten years. The Nizamuddin said, “When I was working in the Middle East, the date farming there served as my inspiration. I gained knowledge about various growing techniques and returned to Dharmapuri with a few saplings. I eventually mastered the method of tissue culture.”
A tree may produce up to 50 kg of dates in its first year of cultivation
“The date tree is resistant to illnesses and tough weather conditions. Although the environment in Dharmapuri is unfavourable for growing most crops, date palms do well there. As the trees get older, they produce greater earnings. For instance, a tree may produce up to 50 kg of dates in its first year of cultivation, but by its third year, the same tree can produce about 200 kg ” he explained.
A fruit vendor named G Senthil told media “Bahria variety may sell 1 kg for between Rs 160 and Rs 200 rupees. It is offered between June and August and is highly sought-after in the neighbourhood market.”
Department of Horticulture representatives stated, “Numerous farmers have flocked to date farming during the last few years. In the early years, the dates need to be well cared for; but, after that, little care is needed. The saplings are highly expensive, and a palm may need as much as 1,000 litres of water per day on average.”
India is largest impoter of date palm
India is the major importer of Date Palm, accounting for around 38% of global imports. In the Kutch-Bhuj region of Gujarat, indigenous types of Date Palm were traditionally cultivated from seeds, however this was not possible due to the dioecious nature of the plants. There were no high-quality planting supplies available.
