ISLAMABAD: The Uni­ted Arab Emirates will establish three date processing plants in Pakistan under a new cooperation framework to be formalised through a memorandum of understanding soon, the Ministry of National Food Security said on Wednesday.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain held a virtual meeting with UAE representatives, including Ms Simisola Nicola Abere, to finalise details of the collaboration aimed at promoting value addition and boosting Pakistan’s global competitiveness in the date sector.

The plants will be set up in major date-producing regions such as Sindh and Balochistan.

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Both sides agreed to expedite implementation following the MoU signing, with coordination handled through the ministry’s secretary.

Pakistan produces over half a million tonnes of dates annually on more than 100,000 hectares, with exports exceeding $50 million to markets including the UAE, UK, Germany, Australia and Türkiye.

Ms Abere said the UAE would accelerate efforts to operationalise the proje­cts under the cooperation framework.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025