Libya: Farmer’s radical experiment with top dates pays off
A Libyan farmer’s experiment with growing premium dates seems to have paid off, in what could be a major revaluation of farming practices around the Mediterranean.
Contrary to the traditional wisdom that Mejhoul dates, a cherished fruit in the Arab world, cannot grow in such a humid coastal climate, farmer Ismail Ben Saoud says he has 700 trees now producing the premium date, according to TheArabWeekly and Agencies on December 16th.
Ben Saoud said: “People have claimed that these palms couldn’t survive here, especially near the sea.”
“But with persistence and careful experimentation, we are proving them wrong.”
Through the use of organic fertilisers and meticulous refinement, he expects his orchard to reach full production capacity in two years with an aim to sell them to international markets.
Mejhoul dates can sell for more than 10 times the price of other date varieties in Libya.
TheArabWeekly and Agencies
