KARACHI, May 10 (APP): A consultative session of the stakeholders on formulation of short and long term strategies about dates export was held here on Friday, which was presided over by Federal Secretary of Commerce Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera.
Representatives of dates growers from different areas of Sindh and Balochistan, processors and the exporters attended the session, besides a group of officers from Ministry of Commerce, and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.
The session was arranged in response to the recent hike in import duties by India on all items originating from Pakistan, which included Pakistani dates. India has been the main buyer of Pakistani dry dates, the meeting was told.
The proposals presented in this two-hour session will be discussed and weighted by the Ministry of Commerce for formulation of draft of short and long term strategies to boost export of dates. There will be follow up sessions for the same, said the Secretary Commerce.
The Secretary supported the demand from the growers, processors and dates exporters that certain major and targeted measures were needed to be taken at different tiers – from cultivation of dates crop, marketing, processing and export including removal or easing the tariff and non-tariff barriers for Pakistan’s date export.
The participants were unanimous that Pakistan needed value-addition to its dates crop to reap the real financial gains from the huge and quality production of dates. Instead of restricted to export of chhuhara (dry dates), Pakistan should immediately shift to export of fresh dates which have big demand in the international market.
The meeting was informed that Pakistan was among the top ten dates producing countries of the world, with average of 450,000 tones annual production ; with average of 97,000 hecters of cultivates area.
Muhammad Ashraf, Chief Executive Officer, Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (under Federal Ministry of Commerce) highlighted the potential of date sector. During the period of July to April of the current fiscal year 15,679 metric tons of fresh dates and 124,443 metric tons of dried dates were exported.
The speakers urged to formulate a strategy to sustain exports in Indian market as well as to find new markets for Pakistani dates.
Source: VNS Karachi
