Substandard dates flood market

LAHORE: Unhygienic and substandard dates flooded city markets in Ramazan which may cause diseases.

Despite severe health threats, the local administration failed to take vendors and shopkeepers to task. Moreover, dates displayed at donkey carts carry swarm of bees hovering over them, besides being dusty and harmful for human consumption. Dates remain in high demand throughout the holy month of Ramazan for their high nutritional value.

However, there is a considerable surge in their prices this year. Pakistani dates are being sold at Rs 100 to Rs 150 per kg, Iranian at Rs 210 per kg and dates from Saudi Arabia are priced at Rs 450 to Rs 800 per kg.

Dates are produced in almost all the four provinces of the country but mainly in Balochistan and Sindh with a special kind called Bhiki.

Pakistan is the fifth largest date producer in the world with around 500,000 tonnes of dates produced annually.

The United States, United Kingdom, India, Bangladesh, Canada, Germany and Australia are principal buyers of Pakistani dates.