The value addition, post harvest management, best varieties and vibrant marketing system for onion, chili and tomato would not only help meet the domestic needs but also fetch heavy foreign exchange by tapping the export potential of international market, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.
He called on a delegation of progressive farmers of Sindh Agriculture Growth Project at Syndicate Room. The delegation was led by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani and the programme focal person, Ghulam Mustafa Nagraj.
Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the UAF scientists will help Sindh Agriculture Department in the production of best varieties and capacity building of the Sindhi growers to avert the post harvest losses. He said that Sindhi growers of onion, chili and tomato were facing crisis this year for which modern marketing system needs to be formulated. He added that onions helped prevent heat stroke and other ailments. It is rich in phosphorus, calcium and carbohydrates.
He expressed his concern that the country had imported the tomato worth 26 billion rupees from India last year. He was of the view that the country was losing 40 percent of valuable agricultural produces worth billion of rupees due to poor post harvest management. He stressed upon the need to develop the post harvest mechanism to increase the shelf life of the agricultural produce.
Talking about rice, he said that the rice demanded the excessive water and Pakistan had been listed in water scare countries. He said that the country was exporting the rice of Rs 2 billion at the cost of using water of Rs 10 billion. He said that steps were needed to address the issue at national level.
Talking about cotton, he added that this year the cotton production had decreased 35 percent. It was 14 million bales that had reduced to 11 million bales due to climate changes. Talking about the dates, he said that Pakistani dates are not getting its due share in the international market due to the lack of the value addition mechanism.
Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani said normally, chili was cultivated on the 80 thousand acre in Sindh but this year, it is cultivated on 2 lakh acre.
The surplus supply is creating the problems for the growers.
He said that if we turn to international standard, we can earn heavy foreign exchange. He said that shelf life of the onion and chili is less; for which the experts and researchers come up with the viable solution.
He said that onions are being exported to Middle East, Sri Lanka and other countries. For access the European markets, we have to increase the shelf life and meet the other parameters.
Ghulam Mustafa Nagraj said that the project is funded by the World Bank, in which four separate groups of onion, rice, chilli and date farmers are receiving training and an unspecified number of them will get subsidised agricultural implements.
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