Dates farming gains pace in Anantapur district

Anantapur- Sathya Sai districts:Dates farming which started in Kanekal in just 5 acres, has now soared to other mandals including Naroala, Singabamala, Rayadurgam, Riddam, Oenukobda and Kakyabdurg in 500 acres. So far, from a mere 5-10-acre experimental farming to 500 acres presently, the farmers are finding it a highly profitable and water efficient. Dates farming once considered impossible and dare devilry is spreading its tentacles in the district but the misconception that the plant being a desert plant hardly needs any water is far from truth.

A farmer Krishnamraju in Kanekal dared to try dates farming by simply taking it up in 5 acres. He earns a profit of around Rs 2.5 lakh per hectare. A farmer gets between Rs 500- 800 per kg depending upon the quality and variety in metro markets. The district farmers, who are known for experimenting with new horticulture fruit plantation, embarked on achieving what is construed as impossible, that is raising of dates plantation in the local conditions. A farmer by name Choudappa of Narpala mandal, who is raising mulberry and flowers plantation, had decided to try dates and raised the same in his 5-acre farm. He planted 350 plants per acre in his agriculture field. He purchased each plant for Rs 200. Now, each plant is yielding 150 kilos of dates.

The farmer Choudappa is marketing the same in Bengaluru. Two families are taking care of the dates farm.

Hundreds of farmers are visiting the farm and are surprised to see the plants blooming and fruits yielding immensely. Farmer Choudappa, talking to The Hans

India stated that the plant reached maturity stage after 3 years and started yielding fruits from the fourth year after flowers first bloomed. The final fruits appeared to the surprise of everyone as the plant is basically a desert crop and is grown mostly in Israel and Middle East countries. A date tree is surrounded by thorns across its body. The thorns are 4-5 inches long and can easily pierce through a truck wheel tire.

So, thorns are removed to enable one to work in date farms. Dates are grown in hot desert where average rainfall is less than 3 inches per year amidst summer temperatures of 46 degrees centigrade. The plant needs less moisture and more sunshine. The date tree requires water at its roots. Many farmers, who are evincing interest in the fruit cultivation, are urging the Horticulture officials to extend all the incentives they are giving to other plantations.