Local business community has decided to establish "Food and Vegetable Processing/Packing" Centre in close proximity to Sialkot International Airport. The setting up of common facility centre for fruit and vegetable processing would open new avenue for the exporters and could be the source of quantum leap in export from Sialkot.
According to inside sources at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) said the objectives of the proposed fruit and vegetable processing facilities are to preserve packing and store fruit and vegetables surpluses for export during seasonal gluts in the region to increase fruits and vegetable export opportunities that will boost growers profitability and foreign exchange earning for the country.
The introduction of agro-food based common facility centre enable to minimise the post harvest losses that are estimated 35 percent in fresh fruits and vegetables, to develop national manufacturing capacity.
The proposed centre will help facilitates like fruits and vegetables grading and packing facilities of turnip, cauliflower, tomato, potato, peas, okra, bitter gourd, Kino and guava. These facilities would ensure access to the international markets while the centre will also cater the needs of domestic for hygienic food while the farmer community would be able to earn satisfactory return of its produce. The growers, exporters and fruits and vegetables traders of Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Gujranwala would be the main beneficiaries of this proposed centre.