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Sindh horticulture industry seeks help of the CSF
Staff Reporter
Islamabad —A Horticulture delegation of mango, banana and dates
growers from Sindh province have sought the help of the
Competitiveness Support Fund to enhance their competitiveness as
well as improve the quality of their products to the market. The
delegation comprised Mr. Mehmood Nawaz Shah, General Secretary of
the Sindh Abadgar Board, and Mr. Ghulam Sarwar, a progressive
Horticulture farmer from Sindh.
Mr. Nawaz said approximately 1.7 million mangoes are produced in
Pakistan of which less than 5 per cent are exported at some of the
lowest prices in the world. He said there was a need to add value to
mangoes in the areas where they are grown in Pakistan. “That is one
of the prime reasons for our turning to CSF,’’ he said, adding: “We
need the help of CSF in establishing a value added mango processing
facility in Tando Allah Yar in Sindh.’’
Within the framework of the existing MOU signed with the Government
of Sindh, the Competitiveness Support Fund is launching a new
initiative jointly with the Sindh Government to help the mango,
dates and bananas industry segments to upgrade their physical
infrastructure for better processing of the said products. The
initiative is planned to be a public private partnership so that the
beneficiaries take ownership, said Arthur Bayhan, Chief Executive
Officer of the Competitiveness Support Fund. Mr. Bayhan expressed
appreciation on working closely working with Mr. Nazar Hussain
Mahar, Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development,
Government of Sindh.
During his recent visit to Karachi, Mr. Bayhan also met with the
Chief Minister of Sindh, Mr. Qaim Ali Shah and discussed further
cooperation with the new government. Pakistan currently exports an
estimated $170 million horticultural produce which CSF aims to
increase to $1 billion by 2012 through its support to the Task Force
on Horticulture Finance and Competitiveness.
Only 16 per cent of fruits are processed in Pakistan and this can be
enhanced exponentially as there are great opportunities to augment
the volume of value added products using modern technology. The
potential markets for Pakistani exporters have been identified in
Europe and the Middle East. Cont. Currently there are an estimated
6,638 tons of fruit is processed in Pakistan with Citrus topping the
list with 1,944 tons, followed by mangoes with 1,675 tons, dates
with 622 tons and banana with 158 tons. These are located in all
four provinces with 4,197 tons produced in Punjab, 983 in
Balochistan, 945 in Sindh and 513 in NWFP.
CSF is a joint initiative of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Finance,
Government of Pakistan and has been established to reposition
economy on a more global footing. The Fund is based on international
best practices and has been tailored to the current Pakistani
economic environment. CSF supports Pakistan’s goal of a more
competitive economy by providing input into policy decisions,
working to improve regulatory and administrative frameworks and
enhancing public-private partnerships within the country.
Support for CSF is part of the $1.5 billion aid that the U.S.
Government is providing, through USAID, to Pakistan over five years
to improve economic growth, education, health, governance and for
earthquake reconstruction. |
