Dates of low quality are being sold in streets and markets here during Ramazan. During a market survey by PPI, it was observed that various bazaars are flooded with substandard and unhygienic dates, which could be a cause of hepatitis and other diseases.
There is no check by the local administration on the vendors and shopkeepers who are out to earn more profit at the cost of citizens' health.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan follows Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia on the list of the top dates producing countries with 11 percent share of the global production of this delicious fruit. And, Pakistan is fifth largest producer of dates in the world and around 480,000 tonnes dates are produced annually only in Balochistan.
Pakistan produced 570,000 tonnes of dates in 2004, but only nine to 10 percent of the total production was exported hardly due to lack of proper processing facilities.
According to an EPB official, unfortunately, instead of exporting dates, Pakistan imports the commodity worth $5 million every year.
This delicious fruit is being produced almost in all the four provinces of the country, but mainly in Balochistan and Sindh. A special kind of dates "Bakki" is being produced in Dera Ismail Khan district.
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