Medak farmer successfully cultivates dates on 13 acres

Anne Satyanarayana from Medak has successfully cultivated Barhi dates on his 13-acre farm after importing tissue culture saplings from London and Iran. With rising demand and lower water requirements, he believes date farming can become a profitable alternative to paddy in Telangana.

Medak: Farmers in these parts of the country would not even dream of growing dates in their fields. However, Anne Satyanarayana had not only dreamed of it but also successfully grew the crop on his 13-acre agricultural field near Ramayampet.

Satyanarayana had brought tissue culture date saplings from London and Iran. Initially, he brought some 280 plants. Since there were no experts to support him, he said that some 40 plants died in the first year. However, he had started getting a harvest after three years in 2022, which had given him much-needed confidence.

---

Continuing his efforts, Satyanarayana brought another 800 plants from Iran in 2023, which started bearing the fruit this year. Stating that there was a huge demand for the fruit in Hyderabad, Satyanarayana said that several marts had approached him to sign a contract for the supply of the fruit. However, he had managed to sell the five tonnes of harvest he got this year to retail shops this time.

Saying that the plant will bear fruit for up to 80 years, the farmer said that the Barhi variety of plants would best suit the soils of South India, particularly Telangana. Unlike the dates grown in desert states such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, the farmer said that the dates grown in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh taste sweeter. Terming it as the best alternative to paddy, Satyanarayana said that the water used for one acre of paddy would be sufficient for 10 acres of date farming.

He further said that it will withstand hailstorms and drought. Since each plant would cost anywhere between Rs. 3,500 and Rs. 4,500, he urged the government to support the farmers who were coming to cultivate it by offering a 50 per cent subsidy. As the plant continues to mature, he said that the yield will increase year-on-year. The Horticulture Department was taking aspiring farmers on field visits to Satyanarayana’s farm, to help them get first-hand experience of the practices.