Pakistan is among the top dates exporting countries in terms of quantity, but not quality-wise. The dates produced in Pakistan are dry and hard - not pulpy and soft like the Iranian or Arabian varieties. So in actual consuming counties, Pakistani dates are classified as unfit for human consumption' and used mainly for animal feed, or conversion to alcohol.
However with proper care, the situation can be changed, and Pakistan can become the world's largest producer of high quality dates. At present, date palms are found in Balochistan, Sindh and South Punjab - mostly arid desert areas.
Their productivity is meagre, compared to Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia or Morocco. According to a study carried out by a team of experts from TPL (Twyford Palms Ltd) the average yield per tree annually in various areas was something like this:

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1) Iraq         -     ranging between     14 and 180 kg      average 55 kg
2) Iran         -     ranging between      7 and  450 kg    average 120 kg
3) Morocco      -     ranging between     20 and 120 kg      average 60 kg
4) Saudi Arabia ranging between           15 and 200 kg      average 80 kg
5) Pakistan     -     ranging between      3 and 60 kg       average 14 kg
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By planting palms propagated through tissue culture technology, the average yield could be raised to 450 kg per tree. Using elite mother plants of the best varieties around the world, date palm plantations can produce (after reaching full maturity) a guaranteed minimum of 70 tonnes per hectare of quality dates, that can fetch a price of about euros 400,000 or more, in the world market. Californian dates sold in Europe fetch $42 per kg.
A pilot project - say on 100 hectares of land, with availability of about 15cbm (cubic meters) of water per hectare daily) can produce a net income for investors in about 8 years time, and then annually thereafter of about Rs 100 million or more per hectare of farm land. These figures do not take into account the inflation factor, which would tend to multiply these by a considerable sum over the period.
The workings are as under (excluding cost of land and other facilities)
1) Cost of a nursery, glasshouse and growth areas, plus other workplaces and residences - total 5 hectares.
2) Cost of tissue-culture plants (imported) for 3 years growth in glasshouse, nurseries etc, and later plantation over 95 hectares (say 16,000 plants - 15,600 females and 400 males).
CIF COST £25 PER PLANT: Other expenses before planting in the fields say £15 per plant.

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                  £ 40 x 16000 = £ 640,000
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Expenses for the duration before
 fruiting (over 5 years) say     £ 160,000
Sub-total                        £ 800,000
Yields -
4th year     say 50 kg/tree     780,000 kg
5th year     250 kg/tree      3,900,000 kg
6th year     450 kg/tree     17,550,000 kg
7th year     450 kg/tree      17,550,00 kg
8th year     450 kg/tree     17,550,000 kg
Total        57,330,000 kg      57,330 M/T
              say @ £3000 M/T £171,990,000
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-- £ 172 million over 8 years and £52,650,000 annually thereafter in sales. If we take the initial cost of land (mostly arid desert sandy soil) and other expenses (construction, furniture, equipment, plant and machinery, personnel and other cost before start of operations) at about £6,200,000 that gives a total outlay of something like £ 7 million, which will be fully recouped by the 5th year, and then at least 7 times that amount will be the net profits every year thereafter, for generations to come.
It must be remembered that date palm is a very hardy plant and can survive any type of climatic condition except severe colds (temperatures below zero or snowfalls). After the initial 3 years, even irrigation water is not required in that amount.
Additionally, the female plants (of tissue culture origin) produce up to 20 offshoots during the first 7 years of their life, which can be sold or replanted. That means (in the given example) 15,600x20=312,000 additional plants which can be sold at a minimum of £ 25 per plant or more (say £ 7,800,000).
So the initial investment can be recouped from this source alone (more than the total investment), or 18 new plantations of 100 hectares each can be established for similar results in each individual farm in course of time. The multiplier effect is tremendous.
Calculate that amount over the total acreage of barren land available in the desert or semi-desert areas of Pakistan, and imagine the amount of income and employment that can be generated in this manner, from lands and areas where nothing else can be planted or grown. In time it can solve all the problems faced by Pakistan in present or future generations.