Pakistan needs to penetrate the annual $180 billion world horticulture market to increase its share in exports of fruits and vegetables which are in great demand abroad.
Director Harvest Trading Ahmad Jawad said this while speaking at a workshop conducted by Green Growth. He said the country held immense comparative production advantage in horticulture sector as their fruits, vegetables, and floricultural products had rich potential to clinch major share in world’s $180 billion plus annual market.
There could be a dramatic increase in the export of horticulture products from Pakistan provided government defined broad objectives in this sector to facilitate exporters, he added.
The government, he said, established export houses to develop horticulture sector in a planned way. Despite its significance in the agriculture growth, commercial activities and poverty alleviation, the horticulture sector had not received the attention it deserved so far, he said.
He said slow development reflected weak policy and regulatory frame work, production and productivity problems, post harvest losses, marketing problems and limited capital investments. These problems contributed to low quality standards, minimal export of horticulture exports, low rates of return on investment that consequently failed to attract new investments.
Pakistan occupies prominent world position in terms of production – apricot, kinnow, onions and mangoes etc. With more than 435,000 hectares under vegetables, country ranks 17th in the world while in production it ranks 20th with a total production of around 55,001,000 tons.
It’s time that they formulate a comprehensive horticulture policy which should indicate broad direction, create institutions and define their respective roles, make rules for co-ordination and provide incentive and reward system for various stakeholders.
Jawad also suggested that if the government’s role was confined to policy formulation, regulation, capacity building and facilitation and within the national policy settings, the horticulture sector might be developed following broad objectives which include increased productivity and profitability and making horticulture products competitive.
