1. Dates Palm Project
Scientific Name : Phoenix dactylifera Linn.
Family Name : Palmae
Common Name : Date Palm
Bottanical Traits Date palm trees contain single trunks (with occasional shoots)
Trunk: Between 30 – 50 centimeters in circumference
and up to 30 meters in height
Leaves: Feather-like leaves with elongated and sharp tips of a waxy bronze colour
Flowers: Flower clusters sprouting from the base of leaves
Fruits: Oval shaped and yellowish-orange in colour, turning light brown
to dark brown when fully ripe. Ripening stages divided into 4 phases:
young date, fully mature date, ripe date, dried date

2. First Date Palms developed for fresh consumption, made possible in Thailand .
Date palms are one of the many plants in the diverse palm family, originally found in the middle-eastern
regions of Northern Africa, both as single trunks and clusters. The trunks grow to about 30 meters height
with circumferences of between 30 – 50 cm. Flower clusters sprout from the base of leaves, with each
trunk consisting of approximately 40 – 60 leave stems. The leaves can measure up to 30 – 50 centimeters
and are shaped much like feathers while subsidiary leaves sprout in all directions. Date palms are
commonly bred through the planting of seeds or shoots, producing rather slow developments. Thai date
palms are often planted for gardening and ornamental purposes, with spade-shaped fruits of about 2 – 4
centimeters.
Ripe date palms mature from yellow to an orange colour and while edible, are not commonly consumed
as the fruits are small and astringentin taste. The fruits distributed in department stores are preserved or
processed date palms with an extremely sweet taste,often imported from abroad, with high prices of
approximately 500 – 600 baht per kilogram,highest in quality being imported from Israel.
Khun Sak Lumjuan the agriculturalist and owner of “Date Farm”
farm, located in Thailand, briefly outlined that after graduating as
the 36th class from Maejo University and beginning his career in
retail as the owner of a distribution outlet of agricultural tools, he
began to think that date palms, commonly grown for ornamental
purposes, should also be freshly consumed or processed as done
abroad. With that thought, he began planting date palms, starting
with 30 trees, planted in plots with a distance of
8 x 8 meters.

3. Receiving advice from Professor Nutthawut Pasayawan, the Director of the Office of Biotechnological
Research and Development within the Department of Agriculture. Professor Pasayawan provided
guidelines on new breeding methods that would aid in the pollination of the female flower by placing the
male pollen inside a plastic bag and refrigerating it until the female flower has fully matured before
covering the female flower with the plastic bag in which the male pollen has been stored. This process aids
in the production of numerous date palm fruits which.
When fully mature, can be used for further breeding, gaining ideal breeding plants to be used for phase 2.
Date palms planted in phase 2 produce fruits that have various beneficial qualities and are easy to plant,
much like coconuts. To enable rapid development, the plot in which the date palm is to be planted should
be lined with manure and compost or organic fertilizers, avoiding humid and soggy areas,
and providing a moderate amount of water with only
a slight increase during periods of drought.The leaves
of these date palm trees are of a whiter colour than
ornamental date palms and when positioned in direct
sunlight or light, the leave will turn an illuminated white.
In comparison to the planting of date palms abroad, the
total amount of time from planting to fruition is 3 years,
whereas elsewhere it is said to take up to 7 years. Aside
from the ability to provide fruits 2 times annually, there
have been no recorded instances of infestations of pests
or diseases. The first harvest is towards the end of
January while the second harvest is in early July, whereas
date palms planted abroad can only be harvested once a
year.

4. The date palms are produced in large quantities with large fruits, lots of flesh, and small seeds .
When mature, the fruits turn a dark yellow and can be consumed, once the flesh is soft and crisp, without
removing the skin. Ripe date palms turn brown and experience an increase in sweetness, measured at
approximately 17-20 Brix. If stored at around 8 degrees Celsius, the fruits can be kept for up to 1 year
without being preserved. Aside from being able to freshly consume date palms, these fruits also contain
qualities that aid in the reduction of thirst and dehydration, as well as the reduction of phlegm. Current
developments have been coordinated with the Department of Agriculture to certify this date palm as a
species and as an organic plant species that contains no chemicals and pesticides, in hopes that the
stability and characteristics of this species may enable further reproduction through means of tissue
cultivation.

5. Research Information
Thai Date Palms
Planting – Dig a 50 x 50 centimeter hole and line the
bottom with manure or compost. Planting at 8 x 8 meter
intervals will get 25 plants per rai. Date palms do not
like excessively wet or damp areas.
Care and Maintenance – Date palms should be watered
approximately every 5-7 days, or according to the
dampness of soil. Quality date palms should be given
sufficient water at a consistent rate.
Fertilizer – The use of manure will result in 1-2 kilograms of produce, twice a year, per tree; together with
proper maintenance of soil and eradication of weeds surrounding each plant.
Trimming – Aged leaves of date palms tend to get dry and it is recommended that they are cut off to aid in
the maintenance of plants, keeping it clean and reducing any possible problems that may arise from pests
and insects, although date palms generally have very few problems with pests.
Harvesting – Based on the color of the date palm, fruits can be harvested when they have turned a dark
yellow. The fruits are oval in shape and grow in bunches or clusters with 4 developmental phases
consisting of unripe, mature, ripe, and dried, with the entire 4 periods from flowering to harvesting
lasting between 7-8 months.

6. Storage – Ripe date palms stored at 8 degrees Celsius can
be kept for 1 year.
Pollination
In collecting male pollen, male plants flower before female
plants and can be noticed when the blossom or spedix
begins to protrude. When the blossom breaks open,
within will be the flower with jagged petals. Cover the
flower with a plastic bag and shake, the pollen will
disperse inside the bag. Remove excess air within the bag,
close and seal the bag and refrigerate.

7. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(Average Nutrition Value per 100 grams) ENERGY CALORIES............349
GLUCOSE...........................48.5g
FRUCTOSE........................35.5g
CARBOHYDRATES...........87.4g
PROTEIN.............................2.37g
FAT.......................................0.43g
POTASSIUM....................667 mg
CALCIUM...........................52 mg
MAGNESIUM.....................50 mg
PHOSPHORUS................60 mg
SODIUM.............................12 mg
IRON..................................1.2 mg
VITAMINS....B1, B2, B6 and B12
Dates 3000 calories/kg
Bananas 970 calories/kg
Apricots 520 calories/kg
Oranges 480 calories/kg

8. Middle East AsiaAsia

9. Middle East Asia

10. Farm In Thailand

17. Investment and Return Period
Investment: 1 date tree price RM300 delivery cost included.
1 acre approximately can plant 62 date trees (25 trees per rai).
1 acre cost to invest RM18,600
Return Calculation: price of 1 kg for fresh date about RM15-RM25
>> 1 date tree can produce 20-50 kg
so 1 acre can produce approximately 1,240 kg x 2 (twice a year)= 2,480 kg
take: 2,480 kg x RM15 = RM37,200 a year
Harvest Period: 3 years
Fertilizer: twice a year
Date tree live: 80-90 years
Contact Info:
Contact Person:
MD FADZILAH, 012 4980 894, dilah60@yahoo.com.sg
ZAINI ITHNIN, 019 2141 222, zainiithnin@gmail.com