DHARMAPURI: Taking advantage of the arid climate of Dharmapuri district, 61-year-old farmer S Nizamuddin, grows date palms on his 12-acre land near Ariyakulam. He has been promoting date cultivation across the country for more than 10 years. Currently, Nizamuddin grows 32 varieties of dates and is also encouraging other farmers to do so.
He has also been teaching farmers from the past 10 years in growing and exporting date palms. Nizamuddin told The New Indian Express, "I was inspired by the date cultivation in the Middle East when I was working there. I learnt various methods of cultivation and brought a few saplings back to Dharmapuri. I learnt the tissue cultivation technique over time."
"Date tree is not affected by diseases and is resilient to harsh climatic conditions. In Dharmapuri, the climate is harsh for cultivating most of the fruits, but date palms thrive here. They give more profits as the trees grow older. For example, in the first year of cultivation, a tree may yield up to 50 kg of dates, but the same tree can yield around 200 kg by the third year," he said.
G Senthil, a fruit vendor, told The New Indian Express, "1 kg of Bahria variety may sell somewhere between ₹160 - ₹200. It is available between June and August and is in much demand at the local market."
Officials from horticulture department said, "Over the past few years, many farmers are flocking to date cultivation. The dates need to be properly taken care of in the early years, but after that, not much care is required. The saplings are quite expensive, and on an average a palm may require up to 1,000 litres of water per day."