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Dates: The chief of all fruits in the world.

Article Excerpt
INTRODUCTION

Dates, rich in carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, are cultivated mainly in warmer regions of Asia and Africa. The fruit is also grown in some parts of Europe and the USA.

Global production stood at 5.46 million tonnes in 2001.

Country (000 Tonnes) Egypt 1102 Iran 900 Saudi Arabia 712 Pakistan 550 Iraq 400 Algeria 370 UAE 318 Oman 260 Sudan 177 Libya 132 China 110 Tunisia 107

Above are the top twelve date producing countries in the world. As is evident from the above, Pakistan ranks fourth among them.

Pakistan's Varieties: Rich soil, abundant sunshine and four distinct seasons make Pakistan an ideal place for cultivating a variety of agriculture crops. The above factors help in creating a very special taste in our farm produce, particularly in fruits: mangoes, apples and dates. Makran, Khairpur (Mirs) and D.I. Khan are major date growing regions in the country. Our commercially important date varieties include Aseel, Karbala, Fasli and Kupro of Sindh; Muzawati, Begum Jangi, Jaan Swore, Kehraba and Rabai of Balochistan; Dhakki and Gulistan of NWFP and a seedless variety of Punjab.

Processing Centre: Therhi, in district Khairpur (Mirs) occupies a central place in date processing in Pakistan. Close to one dozen date factories are established in and around this township. Quality control starts with the choice of only highest quality fruits. Date factories purchase dates for exports from progressive date growers, who take extreme care of dates right from the flowering stage. Well developed, fleshed, fully ripened and sun-dried, dates are brought in plastic trays or wooden crates at the premises of the factory. On arrival, the fruit is weighed and immediately fumigated. For fumigation, usually methyl bromide, aluminium/magnesium phosphide, or agtoxin tablets are used. All vents and openings are completely sealed for adequate fumigation. Each lot is properly marked: quantity of dates in the lot, name of fumigant, date of fumigation, validity period of fumigation and date of re-fumigation, if necessary, are clearly indicated. The fruit is stored in a clean and dry area. Dates are taken from t hese lots as and when required. Mostly, dates are processed manually. Only skilled male and female workers perform the processing job. Dates are given a light...

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