Constraints faced by the farmers in date palm cultivation of Banaskantha and Patan distract of Gujarat

Introduction

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important emerging crop of the arid and semi arid region of India (Meghwal et al 2011) [10] . It is one of the most potential fruit crop for dry arid zone of the country with irrigation facilities. It is cultivated for its sweet edible fruits and is considered to be the oldest amongst the cultivated tree fruits. Date palms possess various health benefits, including enhancing digestive health, (Al-Okbi 2022) [1] . It is a low cost source of carbohydrates; amino acids and energy (Hussain et al 2020) [8] . It also improves heart health due to their high fiber and mineral content (Al-Dashti et al 2021). Date palms play a role in enhancing food security and agricultural sustainability in arid regions (Ata et al 2014) [3] . Major area and production of date palm is currently dominated by Middle East and other African countries. In India, it is mainly cultivated in Gujarat, Rajastan, and parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil nadu (Shah 2014) [13] . Date palm is cultivated particularly in the north western parts of the state, (Kutch and surrounding areas) and Northern Gujarat. The area under date palm cultivation in Gujarat is 20591 ha, were north Gujarat contributes 19860 ha. District banaskantha and Patan has emerged as other potential districts for date plam cultivation in the state after Kutch, contributing 231 and 232 ha respectively (Anonymous 2024) [2] . Date palms emerging as a significant crop with considerable economically importance crop in the region. North Gujarat has favorable climatic conditions for date palm cultivation, similar to the arid and semi-arid regions where this crop thrives. The district's hot and dry environment, combined with moderate water availability from irrigation, makes it suitable for growing date palms. The Banaskantha and Patan district has shown potential in developing date palm cultivation as a commercial crop given the rising demand for dates in domestic markets. Despite the promising prospects, adoption of date palm cultivation is less in the North Gujarat. Therefore this study was planned to find out the major constraint faced by the farmers for adoption of date palm cultivation, so that the need based research and extension strategies can to the larger adoption of the date palm in the district.

Material and Methods

The present study was conducted in north Gujarat. Total 120 date palm growers having at least of five years experience were selected purposely. The data were collected using well design questioners through personnel interview. Collected data tabulated and analyzed using frequency and percentage. The constraints identified by respondents were evaluated based on the severity of the issues. A closed-ended questionnaire was designed to capture a comprehensive list of common obstacles that could impede the adoption of advanced date palm cultivation technologies by farmers. These constraints were operationally defined as the challenges faced by date palm growers in implementing scientific cultivation practices.

Results and Discussion

The Several constraints in date plam cultivation were identified. However, the constraints were differs from respondents and for analysis of data the constraints was classified into four groups' namely Weather, Technological, www.extensionjournal.com Financial and Marketing.

Weather Constraints

The data presented in the table 1 shows that the weather related constants faced by the farmers. Majority of the date palm growers 76.67% express that the fruit spoilage due to unseasonal rains during fruit maturity was the big problem to them. However, cracking of fruit and fruit spots due to uncertainty weather was perceived by 45.00%. The early onset of mansoon during Jun-July spoiled date plam which reduces quality and price of date plam in the region. Rainfall during the flowering stage and harvest season is likely to cause some damage to the fruits (Khan and Hassan 2016) [7] , (Fatima et al 2016) [5] and (Ibupoto et al 2015) [9] .

Technical constraints

The data depicted in the table 2 shows that the technical constants faced by the farmers. The most frequently reported constraint was the scarcity of irrigation water, affecting 63.33% of respondents. This was followed by a lack of knowledge about pollen collection and storage, which impacted 59.16% of participants and a lack of proper knowledge about production practices, reported by 56.67%. The unavailability of sufficient pollen in time was noted by 50.83% of respondents, and issues related to genuine planting material were observed in 42.50% of cases. The need for more labor due to uneven ripening was highlighted by 30.00% of respondents, while tedious practices such as pollination and fruit picking were a concern for 25.00%. Lastly, the lack of mechanization affected 36.66% of participants. Overall, the data underscore the significant impact of resource availability and knowledge gaps on agricultural productivity, with water scarcity and technical knowledge deficiencies being the most critical factors. The similar results were also reported by (Pandya et al 2017) [12] and (Morwal et al 2020) [11] .

Financial constants

The data sowed on table 3 indicated an analysis of costrelated constraints in date palm production reveals several financial challenges faced by producers. The most significant issue identified is the higher cost of planting material, which affects 55.00% of respondents. This is closely followed by higher labor costs, impacting 48.33% of participants. Additionally, the higher cost of pollen material was a concern for 39.16% of respondents, while 42.50% reported facing challenges due to higher electricity charges in date plam production. The data highlights the substantial financial burdens associated with planting material, labor, and utility costs, indicating areas where cost management and support could improve agricultural productivity. The results were agreement with the findings of (Pandya et al 2017) [12] and (Morwal et al 2020) [11] .

Marketing constants

An examination of marketing constraints encountered by date palm growers highlights several critical issues Table 4. The most significant challenge reported was the unavailability of market access, affecting 72.50% of respondents. Additionally, 62.52% of growers faced fruit spoilage due to inadequate market facilities. Poor transport facilities were cited by 35.83% of participants, while higher transportation costs impacted 24.16% of growers. Lack of storage facilities was the least frequently reported constraint, affecting 17.50% of respondents. These findings underscore the major obstacles in marketing and distribution that date palm growers face, particularly the need for improved market access and facilities to reduce spoilage and logistical challenges. The results were also agreement with the findings of (Pandya et al 2017) [12] and (Morwal et al 2020) [11] . Elsabea 2012 [4] also reported the fruit spoilage of date palm lack due to marketing in Saudi arebia. Spoilage of produces due to lack of storage facilities was also reported by (Gupta et al 2022) [6] in vegetables.

Conclusion

The findings revealed that date palm growers are encountering a variety of significant challenges that adversely affect the adoption of date palm in the region. To www.extensionjournal.com enhance production, it is essential to plan and implement improved agricultural practices. Government policy support is necessary to develop storage and local market facility to reduce fruit losses and to improve the current situation for date palms in the area. Growers are encouraged to adhere to all recommended practices, improve the knowledge on pollination practice, bagging and other innovative cultural practices. Researchers should focus on mechanizing the date harvesting process, investigating early-ripening domestic and international cultivars to mitigate the impact of monsoon rains.

References

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