Daily Times

GWADAR: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan has organised first ever Date Show and Seminar in a local hotel on 27 July 2017. The objective was to provide technical awareness on the Dates Sector of Balochistan to growers and to promote export of Dates from Balochistan.

Baluchistan produces 225000 tons of dates from an area of 42.3 thousand hectares and contributes 53 per cent to the total national output. Dates are second in production after apples in the area. The Makran Division is the largest date producer area in the country after Sukkur.

Around 150 growers, exporters of dates, representatives from Balochistan Dates Grower Association, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Plant Protection Department, Agriculture Research Department GOB, Agriculture Extension Department of Baluchistan, Head of Rural Support Programme Turbat and Chairman GPA attended the seminar. Gulab Jan, Chairman District Council, Gwadar was the chief guest of the Seminar. Besides the Seminar, Dates show was also organized in the premises. Around 10 exhibitors from different part of Balochistan exhibited more than 50 kinds of dates which include Bagam Jangi, Kaharba & Mozawati. Punjab Hillavi, Khudrawi, Zahidi ,Shmran,shukkar,Dakki,Halimi etc and Ajwa.

During the Seminar the speakers emphasized on improvement of quality of dates production in Baluchistan by using latest technology and development of processing plant in the region. They further suggested that there is a huge scope on value addition of dates and our exporters will earn huge foreign exchange by exporting value added products of dates. One growers/exporter in Balochistan is already developing dates syrup, dates jam and dates paste.

This is the first time that such type of successful dates show and seminar is being held in Gwadar. The Dates Growers of the area particularly from Turbat and Panjgur have been facing multiple technical problems due to lack of awareness. The Baluchistan Dates Growers Association highly appreciated the efforts of TDAP in organizing awareness on value added on dated and urged TDAP to make this event as a regular annual feature. They also suggested to organise awareness seminar in Turbat as well.

During the seminar, the DG TDAP assured the growers/exporters of dates from Balochistan that TDAP will arrange their participation in international exhibitions and will send delegation of dates growers of the region to potential international markets for promotion of exports of dates. He briefed the participants about date show in Karachi and Expo Pakistan. Chairman Port Gwadar Authority has extended full support to TDAP in opening of TDAP office in Gwadar Free Zone area and invited TDAP to become a member of the committee/board on organising international exhibition event in Gwadar being held by Gwadar Port Authority.

Published in Daily Times, August 1^st , 2017.