Context:
Uttar Pradesh plans to cultivate dates (khajoor) commercially under the Centre’s Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) scheme.
More On News:
- The state has set a modest target of five hectares for date palm cultivation in 2025-26.
- Considering the agro-climatic conditions suitable for date palm cultivation, Mirzapur in Vindhya and Jalaun in Bundelkhand have been identified as potential production areas.
- Date palm cultivation was introduced as a new component under the Centre-sponsored MIDH scheme, with specific cultivation targets assigned to states.
- The state horticulture department also plans to promote commercially viable fruit varieties such as dragon fruit and strawberry.
- Date palm cultivation was recently incorporated into the development plan.
- As a high-yielding crop, date palm cultivation will boost farmers incomes and contribute to the state’s revenue
- More than 250 Barahi variety date palm saplings were sourced from an agricultural university in Rajasthan and planted at scattered government sites in Mirzapur.
- Now over a year old, these trees are expected to begin bearing fruit by their third year.
- The experiment will provide valuable insights into managing challenges such as rainfall during June–July, when the crop is still unripe.
- Since date palm is typically suited to dry, arid regions, addressing weather-related issues will be crucial for successful cultivation in UP.
- Due to the low survival rate of traditional date palm saplings, tissue culture plants are considered the most reliable option.
- Only farmers cultivating these plants will be eligible for the subsidy.
- To further support date palm cultivation in Uttar Pradesh, the horticulture department also plans to establish a Centre of Excellence in Mirzapur focused on commercially viable crop varieties.
