Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
As many as 3,000 tons of Chinese dates are harvested annually in the Chabahar district of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province and supplied to the local market, Nuraddin Mirlashari, director of the Chabahar Agriculture Jihad Department, said in an interview with IRNA, Trend reports.
He said that more than 3,000 hectares of the agricultural land in the district are allotted for gardens. The Chinese date gardens hold 600 hectares of this land, he noted.
He said that there are 1,200 farmers working in the Chinese date gardens.
The district is suitable for cultivation of Chinese dates, sapodilla, banana, mango, guava and tamarind, he noted.
Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Chinese date, is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. The Chinese date fruit is of variable shape and size. It can be oval, obovate, oblong or round, and can be 2.5-6.25 cm long, depending on the variety. The flesh is white and crisp. When slightly underripe, this fruit is a bit juicy and has a pleasant aroma. The fruit's skin is smooth, glossy, thin but tight.