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Ammon News - About 20 rare types of date palm trees are grown at the Al Karama Agricultural Research Station in the Southern Shouneh District in Al-Balqa Governorate, according to Director of Deir Alla Centre for Agricultural Research Adel Al-Abed .

He told Petra in an interview that the station, which covers an area of 120 dunums, is a key reference of rare date varieties as it carries out experiments on the various types, in terms of productivity, formal qualities and taste, as well as ripening dates and the ability to adapt to climate change and soil salinity.

Noting royal directives to come up with master plans for the agriculture sector, Al-Abed pointed out that future plans require the selection of good agricultural varieties and the need to multiply and generalize their cultivation.

He called for spreading date palm farming in the Jordan Valley for its "economic feasibility," noting that Jordan is one of the leading countries in the production of dates, which accessed most world markets.

Head of the Karama Agricultural Research Station Bishr Al-Ayed said multiple varieties of date palms are grown in the station, including Majdool, Barhi, Kastawi, Heyani, Deri and Khadrawi, among others.

Jordan Dates Association Head Anwar Haddad said that Al Karama station is one of the leading plantations that keeps date varieties, and is considered a strategic reserve for these in the region.

The association is working in partnership with National Centre for Agricultural Research centres to address the problems and challenges facing the Jordanian palm farming to boost the agricultural sector and ensure its sustainability, he said.

The Jordan Valley includes about 300,000 date palms of various types or species, with a production capacity of more than 26,000 tons annually.