FAO CULTIVAR
PRESENTATION With the present uncertainty in the world food production and the expected increase in demand for food with a population exceeding 6 billion inhabitants, the date palm offers a good food source of high nutritive value; this tree gives many date growing countries in remote areas, the main food for a considerable number of people and provides working conditions to considerable numbers of labourers in the rural areas. Furthermore, the date palm tree tolerates relatively harsh climatic and soil conditions under which no other crop may give reasonable returns. In fact, date palm which is an irreplaceable tree in irrigable desert lands, provides protection to under-crops from heat, wind and even cold weather, and plays a big role to stop desertification and to give life to desert areas. Its fruit generate good income and foreign exchange earnings. Its dried fruit benches, fronds, leaflets fibre and trunks are utilized in many small industries which provide packing materials f