ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan has said that the economic activities can be boosted in the country by promoting horticulture.
He said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a horticulture park, established by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). He said, “Millions of people in the country suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. However, horticultural crops can play a vital role in solving the national micronutrient crisis and in return boosts incomes and job opportunities, particularly for women.”
Quoting reports of the international research organisation, the minister said that horticulture crop production could create new jobs, adding that on average, it provides twice the amount of employment per hectare of production as compared to the cereal crop production.
He told the participants of the event that Pakistan, with diverse soil and climate, provided ample opportunity to grow a variety of horticulture crops.
These crops form a significant part of the total agricultural produced in the country, comprising of fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, flowers, ornamental plants, medicinal and aromatic plants, spices, condiments, plantation crops and mushrooms, Mushahidullah added.
He highlighted that within agriculture, the horticulture sector is of unprecedented economic value, as it accounts for 25% share to the national GDP and generates over 40% employments. It contributes production of fruits of 6.2 million tonnes, vegetables 5 million tonnes, citrus 2.0 million tonnes, mangoes 1.0 million tonnes, dates 0.63 million tonnes and apples 0.4 million tonnes.
