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 this fruit.

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 ten per cent of the total production was exported hardly due to lack of proper processing facilities.

This fruit is being produced almost in parts of four provinces of the country but mainly in Balochistan and Sindh. A special kind of dates “Dhakki” is being produced in Dera Ismail Khan district.

A number of special types of dates of Balochistan are well known for their quality and production generally in the world and specially in Pakistan. Pakistan is fifth largest producer of dates in world and around 480,000 tons dates are produced annually only in Balochistan.

Dates are important non-traditional item exportable from Pakistan, fetching million of dollars from its export during 1999. India, USA, Canada, Australia, UK and Germany are the principal buyers of Pakistani dates.

Makran Division had acquired tremendous importance in the field of dates production, but is facing lack of packaging and processing facilities for exports.

Pakistani dates, particularly those cultivated in Makran Division, ripe in early July and are harvested by the end of July or early August.

Shortage of storage and processing facilities is the reason for meagre export of dates from Pakistan. Two-thirds of Pakistan’s total annual dates production was produced in Balochistan province and if it was exported to the international market, foreign exchange worth $250 million could be earned. But two-thirds of the whole production in Balochistan is wasted.

The rest one-third is sold in Karachi on comparatively cheaper rates and if this situation persists, there is no future of this fruit in Pakistan. The construction of road-to-market roads is need of the hour to increase the export of dates as well as other agricultural commodities.—APP