SUKKUR, June 21 Three types of low cost solar and gas powered date dryers were being installed at selected sites in Khairpur district to dry the locally produced fruit in a hygienic manner and enable farmers to enhance quality of their produce and compete in international market, said Mohammad Shahid, project in-charge of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council.

Mr Shahid said here on Sunday that the first such plant had been installed in Hussainabad, Khairpur. The dryers would enable farmers to save their resources by effectively mitigating naturally induced losses, enhance quality of their products and compete in international market for higher rates, he said.

He said that three types of date dryers, solar-cum-gas dryers, solar houses and solar tunnels were being installed under the project with in cooperation with Khairpur district government, Kotdiji Cooperative Society and progressive growers of the area in Hussainabad, Jani Buriro, and Karamabad villages.

He said that the Gender and Social Development Directorate and PARC were also providing technical support for development and installation of the solar dryers to a number of progressive growers on the recommendation of the district administration.

The drying capacity of the solar dryers varied, depending upon their sizes. The mid-level dryer could dry 500 kg of dates in four to five days and to cope with cloudy and rainy weather some of the dryers had also been supplemented with gas burners as alternatives, he said.

The solar dryers would start functioning with the commencement of upcoming dates harvest season this year from mid-July, he said.

Mr Shahid said the project had developed these dryers with technical support of the Agriculture and Biological Institute of the PARC and National Agricultural Research Council.

He said the project had initiated season-long training of the relevant stakeholders in the entire dates' value chain from harvesting to transportation, washing, cleaning, grading, packing, branding and marketing. Capacity building programs had also been launched for household women and factory level with the introduction of cooperative approach of working together based upon protection of mutual interest, he said.