Ahmed Khan Malik

Date production in the Makran division of Balochistan is a key component of local economy. However, it has yet to get the status of an established industry due to various reasons, depriving the local farming community of a reasonable price for their crop.

Pakistan is the fifth largest date producer in the world. Dates are cultivated on an area of 74,000 hectares with a production of 426,000 tonnes.  Balochistan produces over 225,000 tonnes of dates from an area of 42,000 hectares and contributes 53% to the total national output.  “There are various reasons why date farming has not been able to get the status of an established sector, thus failing to contribute its share in the national economy in general and the economy of Balochistan in particular,” the people associated with the date sector in the region, told WealthPK.

Naveed Dashtiari, a leading date grower in Turbat district of Makran division, said that unawareness and negligence on the part of the government, farmers and landlords and lack of water were the root causes of the decline in the date sector output. He said that there was a lack of agricultural knowledge about date farming as farmers and landlords were unable to apply modern agricultural techniques to increase yields.  “Age-old traditional farming mechanisms are still employed by farmers. Date production level from a particular farm has reached a stagnant level and it is declining annually due to disease attacks and inefficient irrigation mechanisms,” said Dashtiari.

Mustafa Baloch, Director of the Agriculture Department, Balochistan, said that the Makran division produced 227,000 tonnes of quality dates of about 20 varieties. “Unfortunately, only a few thousand tonnes are marketed.”  He said Makran was the second largest date producer in the country after Sukkur in Sindh. “Share of Balochistan’s Kech district in date production is 59%.”  Baloch said that the region was known for its best-quality dates. “Date production usually spans the months of May, June, July and August. The areas where dates are produced include Panjgur, Karan, Awaran and Buleda. More than 100 varieties of dates are produced in Makran, and the prominent ones are Begum Jangi, Muzafti, Shakri and Alleni.” 

He said that dates were a source of livelihood for a majority of people living in the area. “Poor farmers earn money by selling dates in the market. However, due to the non-availability of a structured market, farmers fail to sell their produce at reasonable prices.”  Baloch said that Panjgur, a district in Makran region bordering Iran, was home to beautiful date trees and an exporter of indigenous varieties.  “Panjgur is a remote area with limited processing and storage facilities for dates. Date production is spread over an area of about 20,000 hectares and is one of the main cash crops for 70% of the population,” he noted.

Credit: INP-WealthPk