A Memorandum of Understanding was signed here on Monday between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the objective of advancing agricultural innovation and research concerning the growth and promotion of different facets of date palm cultivation and the associated industry. The Mou was signed by Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid Prof, General Secretary of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi.
The date palm may be the world’s oldest tree that has been cultivated. This tree is regarded as significant component of agricultural systems in semi-arid and arid regions; appropriate for farming on a small or large scale.
Dates are a tasty and nutrient-dense fruit that are mostly composed of carbohydrates and various sugars, but they also include proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Dates have between 2500 and 3000 calories per kilogram. Aseel, Karblain, and Kupro are regarded as the best Sindhi varieties. Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest producer of dates, with an annual total production of about 650,000 tons.
The best varieties of Dera Ismail Khan in KPK is Dhakki, while the best varieties of Balochistan are Begum Jhangi and Mozavati. Over 55% of Pakistan’s total date production comes from Sindh alone, and this percentage is growing. The Khairpur district in Sindh has the highest concentration of date palm trees, which grow like weeds and provide 90% of the province’s dates.
One of the few fruits that is consistently mentioned in the holy Quran is the date, which is deeply ingrained in Muslim culture. In actuality, the Muslim world, particularly the Middle East, is where the majority of dates are produced. Dates are a tasty and nutrient-dense fruit that are mostly composed of carbohydrates and various sugars, but they also include proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
How MoU Will help in Dates Cultivation?
Pakistan’s embassy in the United Arab Emirates claims that Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, was present at the signing ceremony.
The two sides’ cooperation and knowledge exchange will be aided by the MoU. Additionally, it will give Pakistani farmers the chance to cultivate more date palm, even through creative means. Pakistan‘s rich topography offers tremendous potential for date palm cultivation, and the UAE, as one of the pioneers, will help Pakistan by providing technological support. First Pakistan International Date Palm Festival 2024 will also be arranged under this Memorandum of Understanding. In addition to their many mutually beneficial cooperative projects in the fields of politics, economy, agriculture, culture, energy, and defense cooperation, Pakistan and the UAE have a fraternal relationship.
