ISLAMABAD, March 14: The government has decided to set up 23 cold storages at airports, seaports and across the national trade corridor in order to preserve vegetables and fruits meant for export purposes.

These storages will be established under a ‘cool chain’ system, which will also have two reefer yards at Lahore and Karachi, each having a capacity of 250 containers and six testing laboratories.

This was decided here on Friday following the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Infrastructure Project Development Facility (IPDF) and Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB).

They have agreed to collaborate on improving the post-harvest management infrastructure of fresh fruits and other horticultural products by developing projects on public-private partnership modality.

The MoU was signed by IPDF chief Aijaz Ahmad and PHDEB chief Shamoon Sadiq on behalf of their respective organisations.

The PHDEB proposes to establish a cool chain system, with a network of pack houses, reefer yards and cold storages.

The project envisages establishment of 39 exports pack houses equipped with grading, washing, waxing, drying, hot water treatment, packing and storage facilities of different capacities at 31 locations in the country for major horticultural commodities.

Speaking on the occasion Shamoon Sadiq said that the horticulture sector contributed about 12 per cent to agriculture GDP, and has great potential for increasing the production and export of premium quality horticultural products, besides offering multiple employment opportunities throughout the supply chain, particularly in the rural areas.

He said that about 12 per cent of the 13.67 million tons of annual production of fruits and vegetables in the country is lost due to primitive and poor techniques of handling between farms and the end-consumers.

He expressed the hope that the proposed project, after completion, would yield good dividends by reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing the country’s exports.

Aijaz Ahmad said that the IPDF had been established as the focal point to promote public private partnership projects in the infrastructure related sectors in Pakistan and under the MoU, IPDF will be providing technical assistance in structuring and implementing the project through private sector participation.

He said that the implementation of the cool chain system project would improve the post-harvest management infrastructure for horticultural products, thus helping to reduce post-harvest losses, increase production and also the shelf-life and quality of fresh produce, which would greatly contribute to stabilising the prices in the domestic market.