Dehydration unit setup: SMEDA offers financial assistance to business community

Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has offered financial assistance to the business community in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for establishing fruit, vegetable and meat dehydration units under its Economic Revitalization of KP and FATA (ERKF) project. In this connection, the authority is working in collaboration with Khushal Khan Khattak University (KKKU) Karak, wherein a seminar was organised to mobilize the stakeholders of the region.
Besides, KKKU Vice Chancellor Professor Mirza Jan, Dr Zubair Khattak (Director ORIC) and Dr Siraj (HOD Management Sciences) also participated in the seminar. Addressing the stakeholders, SMEDA manager and FDU Swat project director Hafizullah Khan informed participants about the potential of agro processing activities in the district and concept of fruit, vegetable and meat dehydration. He said different districts of KP produce unique potential products to work upon.
For example, district Karak, he said the people have become more dependent upon open grazing livestock. This scenario presents two potential projects of forward integration. First, is the calf and goat feedlot fattening of the existing open grazing animal on corporate or at least SME scale?
These animals can then either lead to modern abattoirs or dehydrated meat (jerky) of international standards. Similarly, the ever flourishing well established spices industry of Bannu can benefit a lot from quality oriented condiments and vegetable dehydration plants. He further added that the SMEDA has been mobilizing the farmers and traders of D I Khan for processing and dehydration of its world class Dhakki dates.
For the establishment of Common Facilitation Centre (CFC) like facility, he told that SMEDA under Economic Revitalization of KP and FATA (ERKF) Project is offering a grant of Rs 10 million. He said that the cost of a small scale unit of dehydration unit of one ton processing capacity is about Rs 20 million. The stakeholders can obtain 50% of the price of the plant from the ERKF project in shape of grant.
ERKF project is a Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) funded project being implemented by the SMEDA and Industries Department KP under the supervision of the World Bank. Speaking on the occasion, Professor Dr Mirza Jan (Acting VC- KKKUK) expressed gratitude to SMEDA, KP for ongoing collaboration especially in the agro processing activities. In his address, he emphasized upon the need of innovative approach and innovation in business.
Dr Zubair Khattak (Director ORIC, KKKUK) briefed the audience about the collaborative working with SMEDA and especially about the success story of wild olive conversion into edible verities and the model orchards development. He expressed full support to the private and public sector for promoting research based projects in the district. In his concluding remarks, Dr Siraj (HOD Management Sciences, KKKUK) thanked all participants and stated that such programs are the need of the day and we welcome the industry in this regard.