USAID Pakistan:
Dates are the third largest horticulture crop grown in Pakistan with an annual production of 550,000 to 650,000 metric tons (MT).
USAID Pakistan:
Date farming and processing is a developing industry in the country and Pakistan is the 5th largest producer of dates in the world.
USAID Pakistan:
USAID Firms Project is striving to increase the economic value of Pakistani dates through wastage reduction at the date farm small and medium enterprise (SME) level and date processor SME level.
USAID Pakistan:
USAID is providing in-kind assistanceto date farming and processing SMEs through a cost-sharing mechanism.
USAID Pakistan:
USAID is enhancing on-farm and processor-level infrastructure to maximize the standardized output required to cater to the demand from global markets.
USAID Pakistan:
Solar dryers being installed at date farms are cost-effective since they do not no need any electricity.
USAID Pakistan:
Assistance provided to date processing SMEs includes food-grade plastic crates, plastic palettes, cold stores, forklifts, metal detectors, and marketingbranding and packaging material designs.