Pakistan remains unable to get maximum advantage from its dates' exports to India, lacking in proper marketing mechanism. 'Presently export has increased by only 24 percent. Pakistan is one of the main growers of dates but due to absence of marketing mechanism, a huge quantity of dried dates is exported to India at throwaway prices, said a Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) official while talking to Business Recorder here on Monday.
"If government steps up to introduce a proper packaging method for both fresh and dried dates, the current volume of date exports could surge manifold," he added According to statistical data compiled by TDAP shows that India has become the largest country which imported some 144586.354 tons of dry dates from Pakistan during July-June (2012-2013) against the import of 116381.758 tons during previous year.
In the same way India has imported some 1495.74 tons of fresh dates from Pakistan during July-June (2012-2013) against the imports of 13.87 tons last year. India imported some 143090.61 tons in 2013 against 116367.888 during the same period of preceding financial year.
Pakistan's total date exports were witnessed as 156123.393 tons in 2012-2013 while the exports volume during FY 2011-0212 was recorded as 147372.27 tons. The country earned some $76.081 million from total date exports during FY 12-13 out of which some $7.271million were fetched from fresh dates exports while $68.810million form dried dates during the said time period.
The other major importing countries of fresh dates from Pakistan UK that imported fresh dates worth of some 2274593 Kilo grams, UAE imported some 967074 kg, US, 2179718 kg, Afghanistan some 300860kg and Saudi Arabia imported some 289150 kg of fresh dates from Pakistan in 2013.
In the same way Nepal was the 2nd largest country after India that has imported dried dates around 996880 kilo gram from Pakistan during FY-2013, Bangladesh was 3rd importing some 931400 kg, similarly Germany imported 326000kg of dried dates, UK 140250kg and UAE imported dried dates some 211198 kilo gram from Pakistan during the same period of FY-2013.
"Dates are cultivated in almost all 4 provinces", said another TDAP official. He said Khairpur region produces some 40 percent of total date production of the country, adding that "Therhi" in district Khairpur occupies a central place in date processing in Pakistan. Some dozen of factories are established around this township. He said there are some varieties of dates, as "Aseel, Karbalai, Fasli, Muzawati, Sabzo, Jaan Hillawi, Begum Jangi, Dashtiari, Swore, Kehraba, Dhakki, and Rabai which are commercially important saying that Pakistan can extract a huge foreign exchange through the export of the said varieties. If government steps up to introduce a proper packaging mechanism, the current volume of date exports could surge to manifold, he claimed.
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