Performance of Date Palm Production under Contract Farming in Khairpur Sindh Pakistan

Abstract

Date palm is possibly the most ancient cultivated tree in the world. This tree is considered as an important constituent of farming system in dry and semi-arid regions and is suitable for both small and large scale farming. Dates are a very nutritious and delicious fruit containing mainly carbohydrates and several types of sugars but also proteins, vitamins, and minerals. A kilogram of dates contains 2500-3000 calories. Pakistan is the 4th largest producer of dates with total annual production at around 650,000 tons in the form of over 300 varieties produced in Pakistan, Aseel, Karblain, and Kupro are considered the best varieties of Sindh. Begum Jhangi and Mozavati are the best varieties of Balochistan while Dhakki is the best variety of Dera Ismail Khan in KPK. Sindh alone contributes more than 55% of the total date’s production in Pakistan and the share is on the rise. In Sindh, the highest concentration of date palm is in Khairpur district where date palm trees grow like weeds and produce about 90% of dates in the province.

Keywords: Date palm, farming system, varieties, nutritious, semi-arid, calories, Khairpur.