Pakistan is the sixth largest producer of dates in the world.

[ghazi52]

Pakistan is the sixth largest producer of dates in the world.

Thanks to suitable climate conditions, Khairpur in Sindh occupies central place in the country's date production.

Agriculture is central to Khairpur’s economy and date production plays a vital role in providing people with sustainable livelihoods.

The golden harvest of Khairpur.


Not only from adjacent localities, but people migrate to Khairpur with their families from Punjab and Balochistan as well and settle near the date farms. The internal migration begins as the harvest season approaches towards the end of May.

Date harvest forms the core of the region's economic activity.

Boiled raw dates are ready for sundry.


Only older women participate alongside men during the harvest as young women are discouraged from working at the farms.

Due to cultural constraints, young women are kept away from the farms.


The tasks are gendered: women pick fruit from the bunches once they’ve been taken down from the trees by men.

Among men, there is also division of labour and difference of compensation. The wages are extremely low, especially compared to how lucrative date farming is. Those who carry the dates on their shoulders and backs earn around Rs350 per day only.

Once taken down from the trees, dates are transported to the processing site.

Dates are boiled in water mixed with yellow colour for about 20 minutes before being taken out to dry.

Those who work in the kitchen to make choaras (dry dates) are paid around Rs500. Those who climb trees to pluck the fruit are paid the highest — around Rs700 rupees — as their work is the most difficult and risky. Women earn the least at around Rs250 per day.

As there’s lack of basic technology, all the tasks are done manually, adding to the workers’ difficulty.

Temperatures often reach around 48 degree Celsius and workers work barefeet.

Those who work in the kitchen risk fire burns but there is no medical facility in the area in case there is an accident.

Climbing trees is potentially fatal.

The date variety predominantly found in Khairpur is called Aseel. Most of these dates are dried and turned into choaras.

Tractors are the only modern equipment at these farms.

A young man separates dokas (raw dates). Each bunch weighs around 15-17 kg.

 

[ghazi52]

Khairpur's golden harvest and the women behind it

Although date palm is a developing industry in Pakistan, the country is already one of the largest producers of this fruit crop in the world. And in the business of producing dates, the city of Khairpur holds a very significant place.

Khairpur’s village economy is based on date palm processing and export; this is a source of employment not only for the villagers in Khairpur but also residents of nearby cities, who migrate to the district to work during the crop harvest season. Most of the workers are men, though, with only a small number of women seen working in farms, and that too, the more aged ones.

A majority of Khairpur's dates are exported to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The total annual production of dates in Pakistan is about 0.54 million tons with contribution from Sindh at 0.28 million tonnes.

The date variety predominantly found in Khairpur is called Aseel. 85 per cent of these dates are dried and turned into choharas.

The dates are boiled in water mixed with yellow colour for some time before being taken out to dry.


A large number of men in the villages do not have regular employment and rely on the date palm business.

The dates are boiled in water mixed with yellow colour for about 20 minutes before being taken out to dry.
As in other parts of Pakistan, young women’s economic independence in this region is also subject to patriarchal authority; their access to the public sphere is strictly controlled and they are mostly restricted to the private sphere. Young women, therefore, cannot carry out income-generating activities by directly working in the fields. There is a stigma attached to their mobility.

But Khairpur's young women still do not sit idle and participate in this business indirectly.

They use the date palm by-products to make handicrafts such as mats (tado), baskets (tokri), pots (pindi) and hand fans, besides processing the dates and choharas (dried dates) at their homes. The date palm leaves are utilised to make hand fans, while the mats are used to sun dry the fruit.

The mats are the hardest to make as the work involves sophistication and its straws can damage the hands.

A half woven Tado.

Weaving a Tado can severely hurt the hand.

Tados are used to dry out the dates.


Khairpur’s date palm business is hugely dependent on these women’s work who due to their controlled mobility cannot join the industry directly and are forced to work from home. Since there is lack of any formal industry to supply the date palm trade with these handicrafts, women’s informal work becomes increasingly important to keep this business running.

In many parts of the patriarchal and patrilineal South Asia, women suffer from payment inequality and the case in Khairpur is no different. The absence of proper market opportunities and lack of resources make it harder for women to sell their products and on top of it cultural restrictions make it almost impossible for them to get some good return of their labour.

The dates are spread out in the sun for at least a week to dry.


After they have been dried, the dates are put into gunny bags to be sold.
Ultimately, they have to rely on the middlemen, who frequently visit them to buy their products and sell them in other markets. Buying the handicrafts for a pittance, the middleman sells it for twice or thrice the rate and makes considerable profits.

One pindi (pot) for approximately 10 rupees but sells it for 25-30 rupees. The women in the villages of Khairpur are well aware of this exploitation but are helpless in this regard – if the middleman does not buy their product, they will end up earning no money at all.

Khairpur's golden harvest.

Khairpur's golden harvest.

These women's produce contribute a great deal to their family’s savings who otherwise would have to spend on these items; so even the low wages means a lot. A large number of men in the villages do not have regular employment and rely on farming and temporary employment from the date palm business. The majority of women spend this money on their children’s clothing and healthcare while others share this money with their husbands in time of need.

“I earn from making pots, mats and containers. This money matters a lot for me and my family; my husband does not do any work, so my family survives on the money I earn,” says 18-year-old Asiya.

Quite sadly though, the hands that are always busy in making ends meet, ultimately stay invisible.

 

[ABCharlie]

I love dates.

 

[ghazi52]

Leading Date Growing Countries

Egypt is the world leader in date production and cultivation. Each year, this country produces approximately 1,084,529 metric tons of dates. This represents a little over 17% of global date production but only 3% of world exports. Egypt has increased date cultivation by more than 100% since 1993 and currently has an estimated 15,582,000 date palm trees. Just over half, 53%, of exported Egyptian dates are imported by Morocco, this is followed by Indonesia (24%) and Malaysia (15%). The total export value is around $41.8 million.

Following Egypt, Iran produces 947,809 metric tons annually. Despite this large production rate, it only accounts for approximately 7.7% of total world exports. The majority of Iran’s date exports go to Asian countries. The biggest importers are India (16%) and Malaysia (11%). Russia follows by importing 9.9% of Iran’s exported dates.

The third largest producer of dates is Saudi Arabia. This country has the perfect conditions for date growth and cultivation, producing 836,983 metric tons per year. Nearly 388,000 acres across the country are dedicated to date palms and its fruit production. This country exports approximately 8.8% of the world’s dates which totals around $94.3 million. The primary importers of these exports are Jordan (19%), Yemen (17%), and Kuwait (15%).

Iraq produces 675,440 metric tons every year and is responsible for 7.3% of global date exports. This country once produced over 1 million metric tons annually and had 30 million date palms. That was in the 1980’s, however, before the war with Iran. Yearly production reached only 420,000 tons during Saddam Hussein’s regime. The government has since reinvested in the industry and is slowly increasing production. In 2014, the country exported $77.5 million worth of dates and 79% of that went to India. A significantly smaller percentage went to Egypt (8.5%) and Morocco (3.7%).

A list of these and other top date producing countries and their annual outputs of the fruit can be found below.

World Leading Countries Growing Fresh Dates

Rank... Country.... Annual Production of Fresh Dates in Metric Tons

1 Egypt 1,084,529
2 Iran 947,809
3 Saudi Arabia 836,983
4 Iraq 675,440
5 Pakistan 556,608
6 United Arab Emirates 533,701
7 Algeria 485,415
8 Sudan 435,668
9 South Sudan 432,100
10 Oman 239,397

 

[Margarita]

Amazing pics, made me miss my village. Thanks for sharing

 

[I S I]

I love dates.

Who doesn't? :p

 

[ABCharlie]

Who doesn't? :p

 

[MarcsPakistan]

I love dates!!!

 

[Providence]

In US we mostly get dates from Dubai ! Never liked the dark black colored ones

 

[RangeMaster]

O man I am getting flashbacks.Proud to be a contributer.My village boosts having staggering 2000 date palms.
I dates more then anything else in summer.

 

[ghazi52]

Popular Date Varieties

Medjool dates

The peak season for dates is from mid autumn through mid winter, October through January in the northern hemisphere. Select plump, shiny dates. Stay away from dates that are too sticky or covered with crystallized sugar.

Most dates will need to be pitted before they can be used for cooking or eating out of hand. When you get ready to pit them, dust your knife blade with flour to keep the dates from sticking to the knife.

You can keep dates tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Dry dates well packaged in plastic can be refrigerated for 10 to 12 months.

The Middle East produces most of the world’s dates. California grows most of the dates produced in North America

Popular date varieties:

Barhi. Syrupy rich soft date, the softest and most fragile. Small to medium fruit with firm flesh and skin that turns from amber to golden brown when cured. Late ripening.

Dayri. Heavy, sweet flavored soft date. Medium to large oblong soft-fleshed fruit with red skin that ripens to brown and then to black. Ripens midseason.

Deglet Noor. Sweet delicate flavored semi-dry date; known for its “true” date flavor. Medium to large fruit with a skin that turns from amber to deep brown as it ripens. Good for cooking. Name means “date of the light”. Late ripening.

Halawy. Also Halawi. Sweet honey-flavored soft date. Halawy means “sweet.” Small to medium fruit with bright golden brown skin and tender flesh. Good for eating out of hand. Ripens midseason.

Khadrawy. Also Khadrawi. Rich, not overly sweet, flavored soft date. Medium to large oblong fruit with orange-brown to light-brown skin and firm flesh. Considered among the best in flavor and texture for eating fresh. Does not keep well so eat fresh, Ripens mid-season.

Medjool. Also Medjul. Rich, deliciously sweet soft date with little fibrous texture. Large to very large fruit with amber to reddish-brown skin as it ripens and cures. Excellent for eating fresh, very moist. Early ripening.

Thoory. Sweet, nutty flavored dry date. Known as the bread date because it is suited to baking. Medium to large oblong fruit with golden-brown flesh. Late ripening.

Zahidi. Sweet sugary flavored semi-dry date. Medium sized fruit with smooth, glossy skin and golden-yellow, meaty flesh full of syrup. Use for eating out of hand or cooking. Keeps well and very good for baking. Early ripening.

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California grows most of the dates produced in North America

 

[Hareeb]

Oh! So Traders sell worth Rs. 25-30/Kg dates @Price Rs. 200-250/Kg in Punjab--Looting countrymen with both handes. Looks like its a highly profitable business in here.

 

[ali_raza]

we decided to have a date farm on our land.next year inshallah i will post pics

 

[ghazi52]

we decided to have a date farm on our land.next year inshallah i will post pics

Great.....................

 

[ali_raza]

Great.....................

we r in multan area so nearly same geography as sind