UP earmarks 5 hectares to grow dates on a commercial basis
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ucknow: In a first for the state, UP is set to grow dates (khajoor) on a commercial basis under the mission for integrated development of horticulture (MIDH) scheme of the centre.
To begin with, the state has set the target of a meagre five hectares for date palm cultivation for 2025-26.
Considering the agro-climatic conditions required for date palm cultivation, Mirzapur in Vindhya or Jalaun in Bundelkhand may be picked up as the area for production.
Date palm cultivation was a new component introduced by the centre under the MIDH scheme sponsored by it, and the states were assigned the target for cultivation.
The state horticulture department already has a plan to promote the cultivation of commercially viable varieties of fruits, like dragon fruit and strawberry.
The promotion of date palm cultivation was added to the plan.
"Date palm being a high-yielding crop will help increase the income of the farmers and revenue to the state," said an official of the horticulture department, which began its experiment with the crop last year.
Over 250 plants of the Barahi variety (which produces dates) were procured from an agriculture university in Rajasthan and planted sporadically on govt land in Mirzapur. The trees are over a year old now and are expected to yield fruits by the third year.
The experiment will help to learn to deal with challenges, like rains in June-July when the crop is still raw, said sources. The weather-related challenges will need a special focus in growing date palm in UP, which is a crop of dry and arid zones.
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To encourage farmers to grow the crop, a 40% subsidy on the input cost of Rs 4 lakh per hectare has been fixed for the commercial cultivation of the tissue culture plant.
Because chances of survival for date palm saplings are low, the tissue culture plant is the most stable choice, and farmers growing them will only get the subsidy. The centre of excellence, which the department is planning to set up in Mirzapur for commercially profitable varieties, will further promote date palm cultivation in UP.
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