'Government striving to enhance export of horticulture products': the first ever policy reviewed

The Punjab government is paying special attention on agricultural research and horticulture sectors and has allocated huge funds for their development. The government is also devising policies to create an atmosphere conducive to enhance export of horticulture products and creating a working relationship between farmers, industry and importers.
The Chairman of Task Force Horticulture, Colonel Shujaa Khanzada (Retd) expressed these views while speaking at a feedback workshop held at the Agriculture House here on Saturday. The Secretary Agriculture Arif Nadeem, Khalid Akram Project Director Agribusiness Development and Diversification project, Director General Agriculture (Extension) Dr Anjum Ali, Chief Executive Punjab Agriculture Research Board (PARB) and others also attended the workshop organised to review the firstever proposed horticulture policy.
The experts informed that Punjab had a share of 97 percent in production of citrus fruit, mango 79 percent, guava 80 percent and potato 89 percent. The country produces annually about 7.1 million tons of fruits and 6.9 million tons of vegetables and Punjab alone providing 48 percent of production.
Shuja Khanzada said that horticulture constitutes 12 percent of the total agricultural sector of the country while horticultural crops in Punjab were sown on 1.4 million hectares. Out of this, 58 percent were fruits and 42 percent were vegetables. He regretted that horticulture was neglected in the past although it had a great role to play in the development of agricultural sector.
He said while formulating the draft horticulture policy, efforts had been made to ensure that the policy document was broad based and realistic through the involvement of all the key stakeholders at the national and provincial level. The key players that have been involved in the process include Pakistan Horticultural Development and Export Board (PHDEB), Punjab Agriculture Department, growers, traders, processors, exporters, scientists, and academia.
Replying to a query from mango farmers, he stated that the government was devising a strategy to provide cool chain system for enhancing mango exports. He said that the government was utilising all its resources for agricultural research, improving production and marketing of the Pakistani products. The scientists advised the mango and citrus growers to avoid flood irrigation and to adopt controlled system of irrigation for orchards.