The Punjab government will invest Rs60 billion over the next three years to establish four agro-processing park clusters in Sargodha, Okara, Khanewal and Bhakkar under the Punjab Economic Transformation Plan, aiming to attract private investment, boost value added agricultural exports, support more than 500 firms and create around 20,000 jobs, official documents revealed on Wednesday.
Punjab rolls out Rs60bn agro parks to boost exports
ISLAMABAD, Jul 22 (APP): The Punjab government will invest Rs60 billion over the next three years to establish four agro-processing park clusters in Sargodha, Okara, Khanewal and Bhakkar under the Punjab Economic Transformation Plan, aiming to attract private investment, boost value added agricultural exports, support more than 500 firms and create around 20,000 jobs, official documents revealed on Wednesday.
According to documents available with Wealth Pakistan, each agro-processing park will be developed over 250 acres with a government investment of Rs15 billion and will serve as a hub for modern agricultural processing, storage, certification and logistics services.
The clusters are being established near major crop-producing regions to strengthen agricultural value chains and reduce post-harvest losses.
Sargodha will focus on citrus processing, Okara on potatoes, while southern Punjab, including Khanewal and nearby mango-growing belts, will support mango processing and export-oriented industries.
The facilities will include sorting and grading units, quality testing laboratories, certification centres, cold storage facilities, logistics infrastructure, business support services and capacity-building centres aimed at improving productivity and competitiveness.
To encourage private sector participation, the government will offer a package of manufacturing incentives, including reimbursement of duties on imported plant and machinery through a dedicated Rs50 billion support fund.
The parks will support complete value chains for citrus, mango and potato products. Citrus and mango processing facilities will handle activities ranging from farm-gate collection and grading to packing, polishing, waxing and the production of pulp, puree and jams.
Similarly, potato processing units will cover procurement, grading and cold storage while facilitating the production of dehydrated potato flakes, frozen fries and potato chips.
Government estimates suggest the initiative will catalyse more than Rs20 billion in private investment and help over 500 firms expand processing and export activities.
The project is expected to facilitate exports of 40,000 tonnes of value-added citrus and mango products and 50,000 tonnes of processed potato products annually.
Officials estimate the establishment of 20 value-addition units under the programme will generate an additional $200 million in export earnings while increasing Pakistan’s raw agricultural exports by five per cent.
The initiative forms part of Punjab’s broader strategy to modernise the agriculture sector, enhance industrial processing capacity and strengthen the province’s contribution to national export growth.
