FARMS

The Date palm belongs to the family Palmaceae and is known botanically as Phoenix Dactylitera. It is a desert tree which is mainly found in the warm and dry climates of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, parts of Asia and the South West of the United States . The flowers produced by the male palm at the end of winter are used to pollinate the flowers produced by the female palm. In some varieties such as Barhi and Hilwa, the date fruit is eaten as Balah i.e. while it is still hard. In most other varieties the fruit is eaten Rutab, half ripe, or as Tamr, fully ripe. Balah and Rutab are usually available in the harvest season in summer and early fall.

Tamr is available yearlong because it is possible to maintain it in its fresh condition in cold storage. There are ongoing attempts to propagate Date palms through tissue culture, but the method that is still widely used is the traditional method using offshoots. Date palms can also be propagated by planting the Date seed which is found in the Date fruit, but this method is not practical because it is not possible to control the sex or type of tree that grows

Despite many varietal differences among palms, and the effects of climate and soil, Date palms generally do not begin to produce in commercial quantities and commercial quality until they approach 10 years of age. In general, the yield of a Date palm is dependent on the number of fronds ( branches ), and a palm may produce between 12 and 20 bunches, sometimes more. A Date palm lives for over 100 years and grows to a height of 20 meters.

At the farms of Al-Fakhra in Alghat, the story begins with the dawn of the first Date flowers. The Al-Fakhra farm team begins to pollinate and train the flowers and inspect for any signs of infestation or disease. When the Dates begin to form, the same team returns to thin the Date branches, picking Dates by hand to reduce their number. This leaves them with an ideal environment for healthy growth and size development.

Several weeks later, the dates begin to soften and mature, and they are most susceptible to infestation and bird bites. The team returns to cover the bunches with well ventilated cloth bags. This protects the fruit with least reliance on chemical pesticides.

Finally, the farm team returns to pick the dates, again by hand, to ensure that the highest possible standard of quality is attained. With this task completed the farm team goes on to care for the date palm trees. The Date plant team now begins its task of sorting, fumigating, cleaning, grading, packaging, cold storing and finally marketing these unique dates, always observing the highest standards of care required by Al-Fakhra .

Al-Fakhra Dates will be appreciated by those who search for quality. Those who insist that their Dates are clean, fresh, of consistent color and size, free of infestation, appealing and delicious.