September 1, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Saani 22,1423

ISLAMABAD, Aug 31: Pakistan follows Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia on the list of the top dates producing countries with 11 per cent share of the global production of dates.

According to an official of the Export Promotion Bureau, unfortunately instead of exporting dates, Pakistan imports the commodity worth $5 million every year.

Data available regarding the export potential of Pakistani dates revealed that Pakistan produced 550,000 tons of dates in 1999 but only nine to 10 per cent of the total production was exported hardly due to lack of proper processing facilities.

—APP