Date farmers seek dedicated insurance, govt. support for cultivation and processing

HYDERABAD

Date farmers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have urged both State governments to introduce a dedicated crop insurance scheme for date plantations, alongside incentives, marketing support, and investment in processing industries.

At a press conference attended by cultivators from Ramayampet, Anantapur, Guntakal, Yacharam, Nalgonda, and Sangareddy, Adviser to Society for Political Empowerment and Actionable Knowledge (SPEAK) Anne Satyanarayana highlighted the growing recognition of dates from the Telugu States for their superior taste, natural ripening, and nutritional value.

The farmers explained that dates harvested at the semi‑ripened Khalal stage continue to ripen naturally after harvest, offering consumers excellent flavour and texture. Compared to dates from other regions, those grown locally were said to possess better sweetness and ripening characteristics, making them highly preferred. They also emphasised the health benefits of dates, rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, fiber, Vitamin B‑complex, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.

They stressed that date cultivation could become a major income source if backed by government support. They appealed for cold storage facilities, marketing promotion, export assistance, and encouragement of value‑added products such as date syrup, sugar, paste, chocolates, and energy bars. Recognising date farming as a special horticultural crop, they argued, would not only enhance farmer incomes but also generate rural employment through processing, packaging, and exports.