PHDEC organized a workshop on Dates at Sukkur

Dr Abdul Waheed Mastoi
SUKKUR: Pakistan is 6th largest producer and 8th largest exporter of dates. suboptimal harvesting practices have led to the classification of the majority of Pakistani date varieties as industrial grades for processing, resulting in lower prices compared to global competitors. To address this issue, PHDEC organized a workshop with the overarching goal of streamlining every segment of the date supply chain. The workshop aimed to provide valuable insights into harvesting and post-harvesting techniques, integrated processing, packaging, logistics, effective marketing and raise awareness about potential insights and opportunities in the global market for date exports.
Dr. Ghulam Sarwar Markhand, former Director, DPRI, Khairpur delivered a thorough analysis of the present crop status and future preparations. Dr. Summar Abbas Naqvi, Professor, Institute of Horticultural Sciences at UAF shared valuable insights on newly emerging and potential date varieties, taking into account their demands in both local and international markets. Mr. Muhammad Arshad, an expert in date value-added products, emphasized the significance of value-addition interventions in Dates. Mr. Kaleem Abbasi, SVP, Khairpur CC&I presented valuable insights on the implementation of an integrated approach to dates processing, packaging and logistics. Mr. Ghulam Qasim Jiskani, a progressive dates grower provided information on best practices for post-harvesting, handling and storage to maintain the quality of dates.
Trade officers from Pakistan Commercial Sections including Ms. Amna Naeem, TIC, Germany; Mr. Ghulam Mustafa, TIC, Sweden; Mr. Zain Aziz, TIA, Bangladesh and Mr. Amjad Parvaiz, a leading Pakistani-origin businessman in the UK, collectively emphasized the impact of effective marketing on date exports. They shared market insights and highlighted opportunities for date exporters in their respective host countries.