Why Kébili is the Capital of Deglet Nour Dates
17 September 2025
The Steps of Date Harvesting: Tradition and Modernity
17 September 2025How Are Dates Grown? From Palm Grove to Your Table
Introduction
Behind every delicious date you enjoy lies a long and careful process. From planting palm trees to export, date cultivation combines ancient knowledge with modern practices.
Planting Date Palms
Date palms are usually propagated through offshoots taken from mature trees. These are planted in sandy soils and irrigated with well or spring water.
A date palm begins to produce fruit after about 7 years and reaches full productivity around 15 years.
Caring for the Palm Grove
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Pruning: Palm fronds are trimmed to allow better growth.
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Pollination: Farmers manually transfer pollen from male to female flowers—a crucial step since natural pollination is not sufficient.
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Irrigation: Traditional canal systems coexist with modern drip irrigation.
Harvesting the Dates
The harvest season runs from October to December. Skilled climbers, known as chebbara, scale the tall palms to cut the date bunches.
After harvesting, the dates are sorted by quality: fresh, semi-dry, or dry.
From Field to Export
Once harvested, dates go through several stages:
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Cleaning and drying.
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Packaging in trays or bulk boxes.
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Cold storage to preserve freshness.
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Export to global markets.
Conclusion
Date cultivation is an art that blends tradition with innovation. From the Tunisian palm groves to your table, every step is carried out with care to ensure exceptional quality.
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