Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF) has launched 'Participatory Rapid Horticulture Appraisal' scheme to conduct a rapid appraisal of the horticulture sub-sector with an aim to identify those horticulture crops, which offer the greatest potential for growth.
Under this scheme, ASF would focus on 17-key horticulture crops throughout Pakistan. These are mango, citrus, dates, peach, apricot, grapes, cherry, banana, apple, guava, onion, potato, tomato, chilli, off-season vegetables, floriculture and herbs/spices.
Sources said that ASF would conduct the appraisal on mango in the areas of Rahim Yar Khan, Tando Allah Yar, for citrus in Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh and Mardan, for dates in Khairpur, Turbat and D I Khan, for peach in Swat, for Apricot in Skardu, for grapes in Killa Abdullah, cherry in Nagar, for Banana in Hyderabad and Khairpur, for apple in Kalat and Swat, for guava in Larkana, Sheikhupura and Kohat, for onion in Hyderabad, Sanghar and Kalat, and for potato in Okara, Sialkot, Mansehra and Skardu.
Similarly, ASF would also conduct appraisal for chillies in the area of Kunri, off-season vegetables in Peshawar and Swat, and for floriculture the scheme is for Pattoki, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Quetta, sources added.
Sources said that the scheme would assist small farmers to enter into the agribusiness sector. It would also offer commercial viable solutions that would help them to improve quality and production in the target sectors. This would help growers, processors and traders to compete more effectively in domestic as well as global markets. They also said the scheme would be a participatory and consultative process, which involve all stakeholders (including growers, processors, exporters and technical experts from the private and public sectors).
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