Plant scientists at Date Palm Developments (DPD), based near Glastonbury, Somerset, are utilizing a newly established state-of-the-art laboratory to aid in environmental efforts in India, specifically focusing on the arid Thar Desert. Despite the UK climate being unsuitable for growing date palms, DPD has successfully developed climate-controlled methods to produce young date plants, enabling them to export over 300,000 units annually to various countries.
Ajit Singh Batra from Atul Ltd, an Indian firm that has invested £11 million in DPD over the past decade, emphasized the objective of combating desertification. The initiative aims to reclaim and cultivate the Thar Desert, thereby creating job opportunities and fostering an ecosystem that can mitigate urbanization.
DPD’s operations are predicated on a method of tissue culture that allows the firm to grow thousands of identical plants from small cuttings, ensuring uniformity and disease-free stock. This sterile growth process, compared to traditional methods, allows for high-quality production. The lab maintains a strict environment, with controlled temperature and meticulously timed water delivery.
The partnership with Atul Ltd has facilitated the planting of thousands of date palms, addressing the need for disease-free plants that produce fruit effectively. Batra noted an extensive search for suppliers worldwide, concluding that DPD provided the best quality and reliability for their needs.
As DPD’s production expands, the impact of their work extends beyond agriculture into environmental reclamation, raising questions about the scalability and sustainability of similar initiatives in other arid regions globally.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn09jw1wnzwo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss