KARACHI: Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) organised a significant workshop on Dates in Sukkur on 7 December, focusing on the cultivation and export of dates.

The event served as a convergence point for industry leaders, experts, dates processors, traders, progressive growers and R&D professionals.

The primary objective of the workshop was to deliberate on the future trajectory of sustainable dates farming, particularly targeting premium global markets.

Pakistan ranks among the foremost global producers and exporters of dates, boasting a vast array of varieties. Unfortunately, suboptimal harvesting practices have led to the classification of the majority of Pakistani date varieties as industrial grades for processing, resulting in lower prices compared to global competitors.

Athar Hussain Khokhar, CEO PHDEC, expressed gratitude to all the participants for their presence at the workshop and provided assurance that PHDEC will continue to organise similar activities, both virtually and physically to contribute to the development of the horticulture industry in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023