'Dates farming' in Balochistan needs government's patronage'

Balochistan beside huge natural resources also has another untapped potential in the form of delicious and unique dates which need the authorities' attention as the farmers are facing decline in production due to no processing facilities and cold storage capacity.

"The Panjgur and Turbat districts of Makran division are producing 51 percent of the country's dates in a year where the Date harvest is spreading over an area of about 20,000 hectares. It is also one of the main crops for 70 percent of the population of the area," said Agricultural Researcher Abdul Hanan in an exclusive talk with APP.

He said: "The government should take initiatives to encourage farmers for cultivating dates as the region has potential to produce the best varieties of dates including Mozawti, Begam Jani and others."