Oman Traditional Date Palms: Production and Improvement of Date Palms in Oman

Date production in the world is confined to a small number of countries, most of them being Arab. However, date industry in the Arab world is not yet fully developed and concerted efforts are still needed to fully utilize the tremendous date tree potential as a commodity that can be consumed in the local market or processed for export. Date palm cultivation is one of the most important agricultural activities in Oman. It occupies more than 82% of total fruit crop area and about 42% of total agricultural land. Not only is domestic demand met, but a surplus for export is also generated.Tremendous development has occurred in the production and distribution of dates during the last two decades. However, the contribution of dates to total agriculture exports was found to be low. This paper presents date palm crop in terms of its traditional practice and economic development in Oman. Results show that the quality of dates produced has not yet met approved standards and, therefore, the return to producers is not maximized. Resume