Pakistan needs to increase and improve its processing of dates, as this could boost exports by 800 percent. Date processing plants in Khairpur and Dera Ismail Khan, are not in proper working condition, while the Turbat plant in Balochistan was not functioning 'up-to-the-mark'.
These plants were built along with cold storage facilities. Pakistan is the third largest country in the world exporting dates, and with proper attention and appropriate interventions, this sector can flourish hugely, said stakeholders.
The annual production of dates in the country is estimated at around 540,000 tonnes, of which only 87,000 tonnes are exported and the rest are either consumed locally or perish. Pakistan is fifth in exports around the world.
Chief Executive Officer Harvest Trading, Ahmad Jawad, said the country's dates exports could be raised to $250 million from the, current $30 million with the introduction of better technology and by providing funds and facilities to farmers and stakeholders.
Proper processing and packaging is also an issue which should be resolved.
The country's per acre yield of dates has not improved, whereas worldwide production increased by more than 150 percent.
Processed dates are exported to the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Denmark and other countries.
Germany, and most of the other importing countries, re-export the products after improving the packaging and quality.
Around 30 countries including USA, China, India, Japan, the European Union, Canada and other countries are buyers. Traders are also working to produce by-products of dates in order to fetch better foreign exchange.
Exports will stand at around Rs 42 million by the end of this export season, and in the long-term, exports are projected to be around Rs 26 billion by 2020.
(1 Indian Rupee=0.015USD)
