With a view to augment manifold the dates export from 32 million dollar annually, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is organising a one-day seminar on 'value-added dates products and their marketing' on December 13.
Officials said on Thursday that TDAP was focusing on the development of dates' export by involving the private firms and individuals through dates' products manufacturing in the country. The seminar will be addressed by various foreign speakers from Iran and European countries to acquaint the local dates-producers and exporters with techniques of dates-products manufacturing, they said.
They were of the view that the country could earn manifold more foreign exchequer through export of dates products at higher cost instead through exporting them as a raw product. The other important aspect of the seminar, which the officials pointed out that marketing of local date products was essential in the modern day global markets and it would be in detailed highlighted in the seminar.
They said that TDAP planned to market the locally produced dates not as a raw product but as a well-processed dates products. About six lakh tons of dates are produced in the country yearly, they added.
They also mentioned that the import of industrial plants for dates processing and manufacturing of products would be allowed at zero-rate to help the industries encourage in this field. Major areas where these plants for dates manufacturing could be installed are Khairpur, Dera Ismail Khan, Makran, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta, Peshawar and Turbat, they said.
Officials of TDAP pointed out that products like date paste, date blocks, date syrup, date honey (Asal Khurma), date liquid sugar, date fructose, date glucose, date vinegar, date ethyl alcohol, (for medical purposes) and date sparkling or energy drinks could be manufactured from dates. They added that ethyl alcohol could also be used for alternative energy purposes. In Brazil, about 50 of vehicles run through this dates product.