Thirty km from Coimbatore, on a two-and-a-half-acre farm in Vanjipalayam, a farmer tends to date palms 10 feet high. Two hundred palms grow in neat rows, each boxed in by thin sprinkler pipes and separated from each other by eight meters. While the trees stand barren now, barely a month ago, each was laden with 50 to 80 kg of shiny yellow dates, nicknamed ‘honey balls’.
Bite into one and its crunchy flesh gives way to a wholesome sweetness quite unlike familiar sun-dried dates. They’re officially named Barhi dates and their cultivator, K.G. Murugavel is among the few to organically grow them in South India.
Murugavel’s family have been farmers in Tirupur district for three generations. He was one too until the garment industry lured him away. Twenty years later, industry hardships led to losses and Murugavel returned to agriculture. Only this time, he chose Barhi dates over his family’s traditional turmeric crops. “During my travels to promote garment exports, I heard of Barhi dates. They were originally found in Israel and are valued for their medicinal properties that can relieve joint and muscle pains,” says Murugavel.
Tissue culture saplings
Barhi saplings are today cultivated through tissue culture and are available primarily in the Gulf nations. In February 2009, Murugavel imported 200 saplings from the U.A.E and planted them on his farm. “Growing tissue culture plants is a little like looking after test-tube babies. They need extra care,” says Murugavel.
Each sapling is sown in a hole first filled with organic manure, ash and sand. They are distanced such that an acre holds no more than 60 saplings. Sprinklers are placed below the canopy of the palm and they are watered once in three days. Neem cakes and other organic manures are applied once every three months.
Murugavel is meticulous about his methods of cultivation and says turning organic was an unquestioned choice. “The most successful farmers today are organic ones. Look at any organic palm and there’s a life in it that the same plant, grown inorganically, won’t have,” he says.
Murugavel adds that he’s taught himself the techniques of Barhi cultivation, primarily through the Internet. With his 12th standard education, he runs a comprehensive website detailing his business. Murugavel’s efforts gave fruit within 28 months of planting, a time-period he calls unusually fast for Barhi dates.
In the first year, his palms grew to a height of eight feet and bore 20 kg each. The yield doubled in the second year. When in full maturity, the palms reach 20 meters and are estimated to yield 200-300 kg each. Barhi dates are harvested annualy in July and August. This year, each kg cost Rs. 300 and Murugavel’s entire produce was sold out within September.
“Barhi dates require no processing. They are plucked at three stages of ripeness, packed in plastic containers and sold at our farm gate. We haven’t tied up with any retail organisation yet,” he says. Murugavel’s clients are primarily from Tamil Nadu. “Erode, Avinashi, Palani and Coimbatore are just a few km away so people come all the way and pick them up.” Hotels in Coimbatore too are Murugavel’s customers since they say his dates are import quality.
Training farmers
Outside Murugavel’s whitewashed home sit rows of imported saplings, each worth Rs. 3,300. They are meant for the 20 farmers he’s training across Tamil Nadu in organic Barhi cultivation. Murugavel works with them till their first harvest, teaching them the nuances of planting, pollination and pest control.
“Barhi grows well in soils that can host the palm family, such as coconut trees. The sapling is also well-suited for 30-40 degree temperatures. Our land has both and the market for Barhi in India is growing,“ he says.
For now, Murugavel’s is one of the few families in Tirupur returning to agriculture from the garment industry. It’s a trend he hopes will grow.
Visit www.kgfreshdates.com
