Global production of this fruit stands at 5.46 million metric tons. The main producers are Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. Dates are also produced in large quantities in Oman, Sudan, Libya and China.
Pakistan falls in an agro-ecological region where dates can be produced on a large scale with the chances of setting up a viable industry like other countries.
Pakistan is the fourth largest date producers in the world after Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is grown on commercial scale in Khairpur, Sukkur in Sindh; Kalat, Turbat and Punjgoor in Balochistan; the D.I. Khan and Bannu in the NWFP and some parts of Southern Punjab including Multan, Jhang, Muzafargarh and the D.G. Khan. Some good varieties are Aseel, Begum Jangi, Muzawati, Dhakki and Kharbala, etc.
These are grown over an area of 74.5 million hectares with a production of 550 tons. Sindh is the largest, while the NWFP the smallest date producing province.
According to the statistics, area under cultivation in the NWFP is 1,240 hectares with a total production of 8,148 tons. The D.I. Khan is the leading district of the province as far as area under cultivation and production is concerned.
Area under cultivation in the D.I. Khan is 462 hectares with a production of 2,772 tons. Dates are mainly grown in the Pharpur tehsil of the D.I. Khan district and a major cash fruit/crop for the farming community of the area.
Most of the producers are small owner cultivators followed by large and medium ones. The average operational farm size is 10 acres with an allocation of about one fourth of the farm area to date trees. The average number of plants per acre is 48.
In the study area about 21 date varieties were grown. The most common varieties grown by the area farmers include Dahkki, Basri, Gulistan, Shakri, Azadi and Mobeeni. Other varieties grown by less then 10 per cent of the farmers include Sanduri, Zaidi, Halavi and Haq Nawaz etc.
Most of the varieties are sold in hydrated form while the Dahkki variety is marketed in dehydrated form. The Dhakki variety is one of the most precious varieties in the world. However, dates are dehydrated by traditional methods and packed in polythene bags, paper boxes and plastic trays covered with plastic film.
In the past, the federal government installed a processing/dehydration plant at Dahkki village with a capacity of about 10 maunds per day which was far below than the farmers’ demand.
Date growers in the Pharpur tehsil of district the D.I. Khan contract out their orchards or bring their produce in the local assembly markets in Puniala and Dahkki villages or sell through commission agents in Lahore and Sukhar.
The pre-harvest contractors sell dates in the local assembly markets or through commission agents in the D.I. Khan, Lahore and Sukhar.
During 2004, about 31 per cent farmers contracted out their whole orchards and 19 per cent part of their orchards to pre-harvest contractors. On the whole, pre-harvest contracts making farmers sold 80 per cent (3.66 acres out of 4.58 acres) of the total area to the pre-harvest contractors with an average contract amount of Rs38,794.
The reasons for making pre-harvest contracts were large orchard size (4.58 acres) on the farms of respondents who made pre-harvest contracts than farms of the respondents (2.12 acres) who sold their dates produce through other marketing channels, non-availability of fruit pickers during harvesting season and cash need for farming and marketing.
In the area, pre-harvest contractors visit the date farms and prices are fixed generally on the basis of last year’s production, value of last contract and present production. The contractors generally pay the contract amount to the farmers in one to three unequal instalments.
In 2004, about 43 per cent of contractors paid some of the agreed amount to farmers in advance - about three to four months before the start of harvesting season and remaining at the time of harvest. On overall basis, contractors paid half of the contract amount in first instalment to the growers.
About 39 per cent of farmers sold their whole produce and 19 per cent contract making farmers sold the produce from the non-contracted orchard area in the local assembly markets, while five per cent of the producers directly sold it to consumers on their farms. Most of the contractors (80 per cent) also bring their produce in local assembly markets. Thus only 20 per cent contractors and six per cent farmers sell to commission agents in non-local markets of the D.I. Khan, Lahore and Sukkur.
The gross margins for contractors were Rs14 per kg of dehydrated and Rs8 per kg of hydrated dates and for local wholesalers/retailers gross margins were Rs10 per kg of dehydrated and Rs4 per kg of hydrated dates. The net margin for the wholesalers/retailer was nearly double in one-step promotion of hydrated dates and almost remained same for hydrated dates.
However, marketing margins for contractors were seven per cent more than the wholesaler/retailers in case of dehydrated dates and 18 per cent for the hydrated. The reason behind this was that the gross margins of contractors were more and the difference between sale prices of dates for both the intermediaries was nominal.
To improve marketing in the study area, following recommendations are made:
* Dates processing and packaging trainings should be arranged;
* A new processing plant with a capacity of 50 to 100 maunds per day should be installed.
* Farmers should be made able to bear the marketing cost, and be provided loan on easy terms and conditions.