A group of progressive farmers from Abohar in Fazilka district are elated over their maiden harvest of dates, raising hopes for the potential of cultivating the “desert fruit” in Punjab’s semi-arid region.
“I harvested dates for the first time this season, and the results were good. Encouraged by the PAU’s fruit research centre in Abohar, another orchardist, Ved Prakash from Diwan Khera, invested in date palm offshoots for ₹ 2,000 per sapling four years ago. Barhi dates were sold at ₹ 60 per kg, whereas I got ₹ 80 per kg for the Khuneji variety. Harpreet Singh Brar, a progressive farmer who was the first to experiment with growing date palms through tissue culture on his land at Khippanwali in 2011, said that the fruit crop has the potential to change the economic condition of the semi-arid districts of Malwa.
Experts at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) said that the climate and sandy soils in various districts of southwest Punjab are suitable for different date palm varieties. An organised push may provide date cultivators markets across the country, as well as export opportunities to Bangladesh and other countries,” he said. Anil Kamra, the horticulture scientist working on date palms at the PAU’s regional fruit research station in Abohar, said that various date varieties ripen on trees and the fruit can be consumed raw. “Low-quality dates are processed to make “chhuara” and used in jams, mouth fresheners, and even distilled wine. Our field study shows that the topography and climate of Fazilka, Bathinda, Muktsar, Mansa and other areas offer immense potential in date-palm cultivation,” said Kamra.
