Commerce Minister directs expansion of fruit bagging initiative, backs local manufacturing

ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan reviewed the performance of the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) and directed the organization to accelerate value-addition, modern processing technologies and export-oriented interventions to strengthen Pakistan’s horticulture sector.

The directions were issued during a meeting with PHDEC Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Naseer, who briefed the Minister on the organization’s achievements, ongoing projects and future roadmap aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s horticultural exports and improving farmers’ incomes, said a release issued here on Saturday.

The Minister highly appreciated PHDEC’s successful fruit bagging initiative, describing it as a transformative intervention that has significantly improved the quality, appearance and export competitiveness of Pakistani fruits.

He directed PHDEC to expand the initiative beyond mangoes, bananas and guavas to commercially important crops, particularly dates, while also extending it to grapes and peaches.

To ensure long-term sustainability, Jam Kamal Khan instructed PHDEC to work with Pakistan’s paper manufacturing industry, private-sector partners and provincial governments to explore local production of fruit bagging materials, reducing reliance on imports and making the technology affordable for growers across the country.

The PHDEC CEO informed the Minister that the fruit bagging programme has received encouraging feedback from premium international markets, including Japan, South Korea, China and the European Union, where it has enhanced the quality and marketability of Pakistani produce.

The Minister also lauded PHDEC’s initiatives promoting freeze-drying, spray-drying and fruit dehydration technologies, calling them game-changing opportunities for producing premium-quality, value-added products with longer shelf life while preserving nutritional value and taste.

He emphasized that these technologies could drive the growth of cottage industries and small-scale agro-processing enterprises, create employment opportunities and generate sustainable export earnings.

He directed PHDEC to expand freeze-drying initiatives to Northern Pakistan and Balochistan and strengthen collaboration with Chinese-supported value-addition projects in the province.

The meeting was informed that PHDEC is also distributing solar tunnel dryers among chilli growers to reduce aflatoxin contamination, improve product quality and enhance the export potential of Pakistani chillies.

Reviewing PHDEC’s future roadmap, the Minister endorsed plans to organize provincial Horticulture Expos, launch a subsidized certification support programme for around 100 horticulture stakeholders, facilitate business-to-business engagements, generate market intelligence and undertake cluster and product mapping to strengthen Pakistan’s horticultural value chains.

Jam Kamal Khan further emphasized that institutions such as the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of Pakistan should provide greater financial support to clusters of cottage industries and small-scale processors, enabling them to adopt modern technologies and expand export-oriented businesses.

The Minister also directed that PHDEC-supported enterprises and exhibitors be given greater participation in upcoming FoodAg exhibitions to enhance market access, business networking and export opportunities.

Reaffirming the Government’s commitment to export-led growth, Jam Kamal Khan assured PHDEC of full support and called for stronger coordination with provincial governments, research institutions and the private sector to develop efficient horticulture clusters, strengthen supply chains and unlock the full export potential of Pakistan’s horticulture sector.