(Prepared by: Driss Hachimi)
Oufous (Errachidia Province) – Sixty-year-old Lahcen Ouaanaya climbs the rough trunk of a palm tree with agility and lightness to perform the traditional pollination of female flowers, armed with decades of experience and great care.
During this time of year, farmers in the Draa-Tafilalet region work on pollinating fruit-bearing palm trees, a dioecious species consisting of male flowers (Dakar) and female inflorescences (palm tree).
In a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), Lahcen explains that "this process consists of placing pollen by tying male flower clusters to the female flowers of the palm tree," noting that "one must ensure in this process that the number of male flowers placed in the heart of the blossoms is an odd number, according to tradition."
This farmer, who lives in the Oufous commune (Errachidia province), has accumulated skills and experience in palm pollination over the years, a fundamental process that allows farmers to obtain an abundant production of dates, both in terms of quantity and quality.
This farmer, for whom age is just a number and who learned this traditional method of pollination from a young age, can nimbly climb palm trees that exceed fifteen metres in height.
Lahcen adds, "In the past, the people who carried out the pollination process were paid in kind. Today, the payment is often in cash depending on the number of trees pollinated."
He continued that "the pollination process is a difficult and exhausting task that requires a lot of caution," highlighting that the number of trees treated per day depends on the height of the tree, the amount of pollen, and the number of branches and dry fronds that must be cleaned before climbing the tree.
In reality, Lahcen is keen to preserve the traditional method of palm pollination, as well as to pass on these ancient techniques to young farmers in the region such as Yassine Ouahmouch.
For his part, Yassine explained that "wind and insects are elements that ensure the pollination of flowers naturally, but these two natural carriers have a limited effect, hence the need for artificial pollination."
He pointed out that the pollination process begins with collecting mature pollen from male trees, before cleaning the trees and carefully placing this fertilising material on the female flowers when their colour begins to turn from white to green.
On the other hand, he highlighted the national program for cleaning palm groves launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, which aims at the periodic maintenance of palm trees, thereby fighting fires and improving the productivity of these fruit-bearing trees.
While Lahcen Ouaanaya, like many farmers in Tafilalet, works to preserve these ancient traditions, other farmers prefer to use modern techniques that allow them to save time and reduce costs in treating their palm trees.
In modern farms located on the Meski-Boudenib axis, female flowers are pollinated using a long telescopic pole that allows the male powder to be placed inside the flowers.
Other farmers use drones, for treatment that is much faster than traditional methods.
In fact, the use of drones supported by artificial intelligence systems facilitates pollination operations and saves time, as pollinating a single tree takes only about 15 seconds, compared to more than 15 minutes using traditional methods.
In Draa-Tafilalet, the main region that contributes about 80 percent of the national date production, tireless efforts are being made to strengthen the palm sector.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests had launched an ambitious project to plant 5 million palm trees by 2030, from specific varieties that are adapted to climate challenges.
The post Tafilalet .. Date palm pollination between traditional methods and modern techniques appeared first on MAP Express.
