Pakistan to establish Potato Development Council to enhance exports

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood on Monday said the government has agreed to accelerate the establishment of a Potato Development Council under the forthcoming Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF).

“Held a fruitful consultative session with the farmers and exporters of potatoes at MOC. We discussed problems facing the exports of potatoes and discussed way forward,” said Dawood in a tweet post.

The advisor informed that the Potato Development Council will formulate a long-term vision and policy for this sector. “I would soon visit the potato growing areas to meet the farmers and also see the storage facilities,” he said.

Earlier, the advisor informed that the government would set up cold storage areas at airports and shipping ports besides establishing a mango development council under the forthcoming STPF. The Adviser took these decisions in a consultative session with the growers, farmers and exporters of Mangoes in Islamabad.

In a Twitter post, he said the consultative session was fruitful.

"We discussed problems in exports of mango and discussed the way forward. We agreed to explore establishing cold storage areas on airports and shipping ports," he said.

Pakistan is ranked sixth in terms of mango production and fifth in mango exporting countries in the world, having around 5 percent share. The country's mango industry has a volume of Rs100 billion while millions of people are employed in the industry.