PESHAWAR: The Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) plans to set up a honey processing and packaging facility in Mingora, Swat at a cost of Rs78 million.

The expenditure also includes capital cost of Rs18.62 million and three-year operational cost of Rs19.55 million.

This was stated by Smeda provincial chief Javed Iqbal Khattak while talking to media persons here on Sunday. He said the purpose of establishing honey processing and packaging plant was to provide proper honey extracting, processing, cleaning and packing facilities to the honeybee traders and exporters at their doorsteps.

He said the federal government would also assist honey traders and exporters in the value addition through better bottling and packing to improve their quality through modern technology.

Furthermore, the facility will also help in increasing profitability through cheaper transportation costs and open up new markets and increase export of honey by providing the international standard facility to the stakeholders of the cluster, maintained Mr Khattak.

The Smeda chief said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had attained self-sufficiency in honey production and it was now able to export prime quality produce at competitive price in the global markets, but said the province lacked processing and packaging facilities to meet international standards. He added establishment of the centre would fill these deficiencies.

He said honey industry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spread in different districts, adding Swat, Naran, Kaghan, southern districts like Peshawar, Mardan, Karak, Kohat, Haripur and some areas of Fata had tremendous potential for fostering the honey industry.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2016