MIRPURKHAS, Aug 28 Speakers at a seminar have stressed the need for setting up red chilli processing centre in Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts to help boost its export to European countries, the USA and Japan.

They said at the seminar on “Modernisation and rehabilitation of chilli sector” held here on Friday under the aegis of the Planning and Development Department, Sindh that Pakistan was the fifth largest chilli producing country in the world but in chilli export it stood at number 21 because of absence of a chilli dehydration unit.

They said that despite its best quality, the red chilli produced aflotaxin, a kind of fungus, due to moisture, and as result the USA, the European Union and Japan had imposed ban on its import from Pakistan because they considered the chilli with aflotaxin to be a serious threat to human lives.

They urged the investors to invest in the establishment of chilli dehydration unit and use other methods like plastic sheets to dry the chilli.

They said the federal government had approved establishment of a chilli dehydration unit in Kunri town with estimated cost of Rs220 million and allocated Rs100 million for the first phase while the rest of the amount would be released next year.

They demanded that the government should establish one dehydration unit each in Mirpurkhas and Umerkot. There was dire need to create awareness among people about use of modern technology for producing more red chilli and dry it under modern methods, they said.

The speakers said that proper pesticides should be used to control pest attack in consultation with agriculture experts.

They said that middlemen were earning more profit than chilli growers and sellers and there was a need for establishing close contact between growers and traders.

They urged the growers, investors and traders to work jointly to improve quality of Dandi cut red chilli.

Red chilli, particularly, indigenous strain of “Dandi cut red chilli” or Loungi is grown in Mirpurkhas and Umerkot and its main market is Kunri town.

Consultant to Sindh government Sajjad Haider, president of Red Chilli Growers Association Mian Mohammad Saleem, representatives of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority, representative of Red Chilli Merchant Association Musawar Bhatti, representatives of Shan Foods Company Saleem Ahmed, Mustafa Dahelvi, Shakeel Ahmed, Choudhry Mukhtiar Karam Ali Shah and Gohram Baloch also spoke at the seminar.