Ahsa and Saihat are capitalizing on the considerable increase in the demand for male date palm flowers in the Eastern Province. In March and April, date palm flowers start to blossom with each palm forming about 10-15 large golden-brown flower pods. The demand for male date palm is high during this season as farmers use them for pollination with their female date palm. The male date palm flower pod is called “Nabath” in Arabic which is selling in Damman now at SR150. However, the demand would gradually decrease remarkably cutting the prices as well. Some farmers need good quality male date palm flowers since their female plant flowers sprouted before their male flowers. It needs urgent pollination otherwise affecting the whole crop. Farmers from different province are also coming to Dammam to benefit from the male date palm flowers. According to experts in the pollination field, when it matures, the pop splits wide open and exposes the flowers. One pod can encase from 5,000 to 10,000 flowers. Abu Saeed, an expert farmer from Al-Ahsa told Saudi Gazette that the date palm is pollinated by natural wind, but in cultivation of date it is hard to rely only on natural wind. Also for this process to occur it had to be an equal ratio of male to female plants. It could never be fully productive because only female date palms produce dates, and one male date palm can pollinate about 50 females. That's why farmers usually have one male and fifty females planted per acre and use manual pollination which is very efficient and productive. Abu Ali, another farmer and trader of famous dates of Al-Ahsa – Khalas brand – told Saudi Gazette that “male flowers come out 2-3 weeks before female flowers. They come out on long, large stems weighing 20 pounds each. Once the male pods open, they are cut out of the trees and hung upside down to dry. Once dried, pollen is stored in a cool place and then is ready to be used for pollination. The pollen has to be placed inside female flowers. Each female has to be pollinated at least twice in order to have a good crop.”
