His Royal Highness Prince Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, Governor of Najran Region, reviewed the results of a study on the propagation of rare and distinctive date palm varieties in the region. The study follows His Royal Highness’s directives to investigate these varieties, work toward their propagation, and preserve them from extinction.
The Governor of Najran emphasized the importance of preserving rare local agricultural varieties and leveraging modern technologies for their propagation, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agricultural resources and preserving the agricultural diversity for which the region is known.
This came during His Royal Highness’s meeting today at his office with Eng. Salem bin Mohsen Al-Balharith, Director of the National Center for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Development (Estidamah) branch in Najran, along with several members of the branch.
Prince Jalawi bin Abdulaziz reviewed the various stages of the study, which included conducting field surveys of date palm farms and date markets across the region to identify distinctive varieties, collect samples, and propagate them using plant tissue culture technology.
His Royal Highness also listened to a briefing by Eng. Yousef Al-Juraib, the study’s supervisor, on the results of the tissue culture propagation. The project resulted in the production of more than 359 offshoots of rare and distinctive varieties. He also reviewed the plan to transition the project to the field cultivation stage and the preparations for the establishment of a demonstration field to cultivate Najran’s rare date palm varieties during the autumn growing season of 2026.
For his part, Eng. Al-Balharith expressed his appreciation to the Governor of Najran for his support and interest in research and agricultural projects that contribute to preserving local varieties and developing the agricultural sector in the region.