Agro-Export Processing Zone for Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers

Lack of effective vegetable export policy, poor marketing planning, inadequate agriculture extension services, lack of coordination between growers and agriculture department officials, are major problems being faced by vegetable growers in Pakistan.

Agriculture sector would continue to under-perform until these problems are resolved, the government should evolve policies and programs to increase export of various vegetables. The Trade Development Authority should explore new markets for export of surplus vegetables and fruits.

Initiatives for value-addition including packaging of vegetables and setting up of storage facilities in rural areas can help reduce losses and generate new employment opportunities, export of fresh vegetables could help stabilize prices in the domestic market.

There is a need for setting up of processing units for value-addition and packaging in vegetable-growing districts. Otherwise growers were bound to face the 2007-like situation when they were forced to sell out their tomato at Rs2-3 per kg, much below their production cost of Rs7 per kg.

Officials in the provincial agriculture department said that the government had taken a number of initiatives to help boost export of vegetables and fruits.

An Rs399 million scheme has been approved for the current fiscal year for establishment of agro-export processing zone for fruits, vegetables and flowers,” said Muhammad Arif Khairi, deputy secretary (technical) Sindh Agriculture Department. He told this scribe that the scheme was pending, awaiting clearance with the provincial P&D department. Once it was cleared, work on the project would start on fast track basis. It would help local firms to export their produce directly.