Planning for the development of economic groves in Ilam province

Ilam - The head of the agricultural jihad of Ilam province announced plans for the development of economic groves in Ilam province.

In a conversation with Mehr reporter, Ali Reza Tulabi said: Although Ilam has a share of date production in the country for many years due to its tropical regions, the traditional structure of palm groves and the monopoly of production on local cultivars such as "Zahedi" and "Estamaran" prevented the full use of the economic value of this product. Now, with the new approach of managing the agricultural jihad of the province, changing the portfolio of cultivars of the groves towards the commercial and luxury cultivars of the global markets such as "Majul" and "Pyaram" has been keyed as a basic strategy.

The head of the Jihad Agricultural Organization of Ilam province, pointing to the necessity of transitioning from subsistence agriculture to a modern horticulture economy, said: Currently, out of the total 160 hectares of groves in the province, 126 hectares are fertile and 34 hectares are infertile, and it is expected that this year, about 380 tons of dates will be harvested from these orchards and sent to the market. However, relying only on traditional and native cultivars does not meet the added value expected by gardeners, and we are forced to modify the cultivation pattern in the palm sector.

He added: For this purpose, the cultivation of commercial and marketable cultivars such as Majol and Pyaram, which have excellent export value due to their high quality characteristics, has been placed on the organization's serious agenda, so that if they are fully adapted to the region's climate, the economic profitability of the users will increase significantly.

Special support packages for Ilam farmers

The head of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Ilam Province, referring to the obstacles facing the development of palm groves, stated: the high cost of providing high-quality saplings and seedlings of commercial cultivars is the most important concern and limitation of farmers in tropical regions. Building a modern grove requires significant initial investment, which alone is beyond the reach of many operators.

Tulabi pointed out: To remove this obstacle and encourage farmers, the province's agricultural jihad has defined special support packages. including the provision of free hole digging services and the distribution of subsidized seedlings among gardeners in order to compensate part of the heavy costs of setting up new gardens and make the path of development smoother.

In another part of his speech, he mentioned the development plans of the province's horticulture sector and said: "Our vision for the future of Ilam's palm industry is very bright." In this regard, the plan of allocating four thousand hectares of suitable land in the border zone of the province to the construction of new groves, focusing on the commercial and valuable variety of Majul, has been developed and proposed.

In the end, Toulabi emphasized: This big plan, in case of sustainable supply of water resources, provision of standard seedlings and strict implementation of expert processes, will not only create a big change in the employment and income of Ilami palm farmers, but will also turn this border province into one of the main production and export poles of high-quality dates in the west of the country.