Pollen influences the size, shape, and ripening time of the fruit. Pollination can occur naturally by means of wind. But growers usually pollinate trees by tying a male flower cluster to a female cluster. Paper bags placed above the ripening fruit help prevent damage from rain. Netting or porous cloth placed over the clusters protect the fruit from insects and birds.
Workers harvest the clusters of dates by hand.
They treat the dates with carbon bisulfide fumes to kill insects. They then put the dates in a warm place to ripen further and dry. This additional ripening increases the sugar content and reduces acidity. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the largest producers of dates. Other important producers include Algeria, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.