Al-Jouf: Farmers in the Al-Jouf Region have commenced the annual date palm pollination season, a manual process known locally as "palm pollination," which involves transferring male palm pollen to female palms to ensure fruit production.

According to Saudi Press Agency, date farmer Ahmed Al-Arfaj explained that the pollination period in Al-Jouf typically spans from February to the end of April. Farmers personally perform the pollination to guarantee high-quality dates. The process starts with extracting male pollen, which is then dried into a powder. Four male inflorescences are placed into the female palm's pollen receptacle. Farmers use traditional tools, such as a manual trimmer designed as a sharp knife for removing thorns, and wicker baskets made from palm fronds to carry the pollen while climbing.

Following pollination is "palm dusting," where a special powder is sprayed to protect the pollen from pests, thereby increasing the success rate and yield. Al-Arfaj mentioned that Al-Jouf farmers apply traditional thinning techniques, reducing the number of date clusters from over ten to about five per tree, to enhance the size and quality of the remaining fruit by concentrating nutrients.

The region is noted for its preservation of family-based manual farming practices, especially on smaller farms and home-surrounding palm trees. Palm care traditions are handed down through generations as a deeply ingrained social custom. The General Authority for Statistics reports that Al-Jouf has over 980,000 palm trees, of which 798,649 are fruit-bearing, producing approximately 43,203 tons of dates. Around 34,045 tons are sold locally, underscoring the palm tree's significant economic and cultural importance to the region.