The European Union has imposed a ban on the import of red chillies from Pakistan as the commodity has been found infected with fungal disease Aflatoxin.
A spokesman for Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project's Implementation Office Sindh told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that chilli was the main cash crop of Sindh but due to a post-harvest fungal disease Aflatoxin attack, its production had tremendously reduced and exports of millions of tonnes of chillies stopped. This would deprive the government of huge foreign exchange earnings.
To overcome this ugly situation, he said, a seminar on "red chillies production and export opportunities" would be held on December 17 at Kunri town in district Umer Kot, the largest production centre for red chillies in Asia.
The production of chillies is suffering from the fatal Fusarium and Phytium diseases in the field, while Aspergilus Falvus - a fungal disease in the post harvest stage - produces Aflatoxin, which is worst cancer producer in human beings. Due to the existence of Aflatoxin, export of red chillies from Pakistan has been banned to European countries.
Millions of tons of chillies were exported every year but unfortunately Aflatoxin has adversely effected the cultivated area and badly damaged the crop. The production of chillies has decreased by 49.6 percent from 32.4 percent. Post harvest losses were also higher this year compared to last year. Pakistan achieved 61,900 tones of chilli this year compared to 122,900 tones last year.
A team of Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project, Project Implementation Office (PIO), Sindh visited Kunri and arranged focus group meetings on chillies.
A large number of growers, processors and exporters who attended the meeting brought the problem of Aflatoxin to their notice and proposed that a delegation of growers and exporters may be organised to visit India to know about their harvest, to educate themselves particularly about the processing and drying system and adopt the same methods in Pakistan to make this huge and important crop exportable, meeting the WTO conditionalities and international standards.
They also showed interest in importing machinery and technology from India if they were convinced that it would upgrade our system and technology. On the suggestion of PIO, Sindh a delegation of chilli growers and exporters may be organised and visit India during the month of February.
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock had launched Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project in all the four province and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Federally Administered Northern Areas (Fana) during the year 2005-06.
The project would cost Rs 4,066 million and is assisted by Asian Development Bank (ADB), which aims at promoting private sector AGRO-Enterprise Development throughout the whole value chain.
The primary focus of the project is on the development of agribusiness in horticulture, livestock and dairy sub-sectors and to help in the production and export of high value-added crops such as fruits and vegetables, flowers, livestock and dairy products. It also aims at training 25,000 farmers in the agribusiness sector. This would create job opportunities, improve the standard of living of people of rural areas and alleviate poverty.
Agriculture Secretary, Government of Sindh, Sabagho Khan Jatoi would be the chief guest at the seminar. Representatives of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (Parc), Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), exporters, contractors, processors, growers, experts, guest speakers and senior officials federal and provincial government also likely to attend.