DEVELOPMENT OF DATE PALM CULTIVATION AND ITS ROLE IN SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN OMAN

Date palm cultivation is one of the most important agricultural activities in Oman. The date palm is considered as the first important crop in Oman with a perspective to grow. It presents a widespread, integrated ecological and agricultural system. It occupies about 84.9% of the total fruit area and about 49.3% of the total agricultural land. Not only the domestic demand is met, but a significant surplus for export is generated. Tremendous development has occurred in the production and the distribution of date palm during the last three decades. Date palm trees occupy around 84,500 feddan (35,000 ha), and include more than eight million trees.
Since the 1970’s, the Ministry of Agriculture has attempted to improve the production of date palm through agricultural research, extension programs and financial support, sustaining various aspects including establishment of tissue culture laboratories with the main objective of providing date palm transplants (offshoots) and preservation of natural resources. Part of the task of the the overall support gene bank is to maintain the most elite Omani date palm. The total production of dates has increased from 173,000 ton in the year 1993 to 298,000 ton in 2001. Environmental constraints such as the limited water resources and the wave of drought that affected the Sultanate in 2002 and 2003 has led to a decline in the date production to 219,772 ton. Yet in 2004-2005 and until 2008 the production of dates has increased to up to 265,000 ton. The development in date production is due to many factors; one of the most important factors is the implementation of new technological methods, including fertilization, insect control, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and disease as well as the start of a strategy for long term development of date palm in Oman.