Date Palm in Morocco
Morocco’s total number of date palm tree is estimated to be 4.8 million, covering an area of 48,000 ha. Date palm tree production is very low, with an average yield of 18 kg per tree, enough to meet less than 60% of Morocco’s national consumption. This is primarily due to traditional palm grove management practices, which include insufficient pruning, irrigation, fertilization, planting density, and so on. Farmyard manure has long been used and is preferred over inorganic fertilizer, even on modern farms. Specialty fertilizers are used on very few plantations.
Previous research from date palm producing regions around the world indicates that date palm tree need a lot of macronutrients to grow and produce well. The results show that N, P, and K applications increase the number of leaves and bunches per palm, fruit yield, and total sugar content, all of which contribute to high fruit quality and better production economics. In North Africa, there is a scarcity of research on nutrient management for date palm. This project will fill a knowledge gap by evaluating the response of young and mature palms to NPK fertilizer.
Description
Phoenix dactylifera, also known as date or date palm tree, is a flowering plant species in the Arecaceae palm family that is grown for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated in northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and it has become naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The type species of the genus Phoenix, which contains 12-19 species of wild date palms, is dactylifera.
2 Draa-tafilalet date palm
Dates are the main product of the Saharan regions and the foundation of the oasis, which is a specific ecosystem adapted to extremely arid environments. Morocco ranks 12th in the world in date production, producing 143,000 tonnes per year; this remarkable position is explained by the importance placed on the date palm and its culture. The company CamelExcursions offer Private Morocco tours to visit the Draa Tafilalet region and the Sahara desert where you can find Date palm tree.
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Zagora is famous for it’s quality dates fruits
The quality and variety of the dates produced in the province of Zagora have earned it a well-deserved reputation. It has been estimated that the amount of dates that will be harvested in the province of Zagora during the agricultural season of 2019-2020 will total more than 63,000 tonnes. These figures come from the Regional Office for Agricultural Development (ORMVA) in Ouarzazate.
It is estimated that there are 600,000 palm trees in the province, 200,000 of which are date palms. These palm trees can be found in a number of different oasis, such as Agdez, Mezguita, Tanzouline, Mhamid, Maider basin, Fezouta, and Ternata.
Dates Festival in Erfoud town
The oasis town of Erfoud, which is one of the most important date production centers in Morocco, will be celebrating Guetna, the date harvest, Mid of October.
The Guetna festival is held in the desert town of Erfoud, which is located in the Draa-Tafilalet region of southeast Morocco. The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness of the city’s agricultural potential and to improve tourism there.
The festival is an opportunity for locals, tourists, and visitors to stop by exhibition tents and try out different varieties of dates. Date samples from other date-producing regions are discussed at a gathering attended by farmers from the region and the areas immediately surrounding it.
The festival provides attendees with the chance to experience the culture of the area through its extensive program of street performances, parade processions, as well as traditional music and dances.
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