The increase in temperature over September and October had a negative effect on the quality of dates produced in Ghardaïa, Algeria. Ali Bendjoudi, head of the department managing agriculture (DSA) said that “all of the dates are burnt and dried out, notably dates with soft, fragile skin, vulnerable to climate changes, such as the Deglet Nour, Bent Kballa and Gher varieties”.
The producers experienced the same situation over the last season. Farmers are turning towards other productions. The DSA is recommending producers turn to agricultural insurances to protect themselves.
Ghardaïa is one of the main date producing regions in Algeria with 11,000 ha of date farms and 1.3 million palm trees, of which a large amount produce Deglet Nours.