Sindh Agriculture Department will establish a Chillies Research Institute at Kunri, the largest chilli market, to develop new varieties, production and post harvesting technologies.
Sindh Agriculture Secretary, Nazar Hussain Mahar stated this while presiding over a meeting of the Chillies Development Working Group here on Thursday, in which matters regarding production storage, export, fungus and other problems being faced by chillies crop were discussed at length.
The secretary also informed that a testing laboratory would also be set up at Kunri, where chillies samples of growers would be tested for possible Aflatoxin contents, which is hampering smooth export of chillies. The laboratory would also develop suitable technology to get rid of this fungus, he added.
The meeting decided that chillies storage and mechanical drying facilities will be developed in Kunri and for procurement of storage technology, a delegation of growers and experts would also be sent to India.
Moreover, proper infrastructure facilities will be provided in the chillies market in Kunri so that chillies are purchased by the exporters ere.
It was informed that traders are mixing old and new chillies causing moisture, which breeds the fungus damaging its export potential, resulting less prices to growers.
It was informed that Sindh was producing 85 percent of chillies in Pakistan. In 2003-2004, the chillies production in Sindh was 82200 tonnes. The meeting decided that those varieties, which are not susceptible to fungus and are high yielding would be promoted and newly evolved varieties would be registered for multiplication of their seed.
Besides, President Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Syed Qamar Zaman Shah, prominent chillies growers of Umerkot district, Syed Noor Ali Shah and Mian Muhammad Saleem and growers of Hyderabad Mehmood Nawaz Shah and Syed Sharafuddin Shah attended the meeting.
Earlier, in a joint meeting of growers, representatives of Pakistan Horticulture Development, Export Board and senior officers of Agriculture Research, Extension and Water Management, it was decided that required infrastructure would be laid at Tando Allahyar where exporters would come and purchase mangoes from growers and pack them for export purpose.