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Tuesday March 19, 2024

No profit on dates

August 14, 2018

Farmers’ hope of getting a decent amount of revenue through the sale of date was quashed when the authorities bought the fruit at low prices. As the supply of date is higher than the present demand, local growers are compelled to sell the fruit at painfully low prices. Khairpur is famous for producing some of the best date varieties in the world. Wholesalers from across the country throng the area every year to buy dates. However, the government has done little to ensure that farmers are getting enough money for their produce. Date is an important item of export from the country. But due to lack of proper marketing efforts, it is being sold at throw-away prices even in the international market.

The situation calls for the following urgent measures. A factory should be set up to manufacture value-added products from date fruit. Cold storage facilities must be provided to farmers for the safe storage of their produce. The authorities concerned may organise date farmers’ participation in annual festivals held yearly in countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman, where hundreds of tonnes of dates are sold on spot and orders are booked. This will definitely strengthen the country’s export sector.

Sada Hayat Jalbani

Karachi