KARACHI – CAB International (CABI), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve the quality and standard of horticulture products in Pakistan and dealing with rising pets issues with fruits and vegetable.
According to a report, Pakistan’s horticulture exports could fetch up to $7 billion with a little attention on improving the yield through research and development which is badly lacking at present. However, the MoU was signed by Dr Babar Bajwa, regional director CABI Pakistan, Dr Muabrak Ahmed Director General Southern Zone Agricultural Research Center (SARC) and Waheed Ahmed Chairman (R&D) PFVA.
CABI is an International Inter-Governmental Organisation. The PFVA will be main beneficiary of the MoU as the industry cannot withstand as resilient business entity without a solid Research and Development (R&D) base. Being the Inter-Governmental Agency, CABI and the PARC, will continue to support such development activities in the future as well to steer horticultural export industry development.
Waheed Ahmed, Co Chairman PFVA, termed the agreement a historic and major development for the highly neglected sector of horticulture, and said that it was need of the hour to improve the country’s products as per quality demand in domestic international market. He said Pakistan is fast becoming an importing country of even horticulture products mainly because of the negligence on the part of government and farmers towards quality improvements of the products.
