BRUSSELS/ISLAMABAD, (Unib Rashid) – Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming Pakistan’s horticulture sector into a major export-driven industry by endorsing the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company’s (PHDEC) strategic roadmap focused on innovation, value addition, and market expansion.

Chairing a review meeting on PHDEC’s performance and future plans, the minister directed the organization to accelerate export-oriented interventions, adopt modern processing technologies, and enhance value addition to improve the competitiveness of Pakistan’s horticultural products in international markets while increasing farmers’ incomes.

During the meeting, several key initiatives were approved to strengthen the sector. These included expanding the successful Fruit Bagging Initiative to cover dates, grapes, and peaches, promoting local manufacturing of fruit bagging materials to reduce reliance on imports, and extending freeze-drying, spray-drying, and fruit dehydration technologies across the country, particularly in the Northern Areas and Balochistan.

The minister also endorsed the wider distribution of solar tunnel dryers to improve the quality of chillies and minimize aflatoxin contamination, a major challenge affecting export standards. In addition, PHDEC will launch a subsidized certification support programme benefiting around 100 horticulture stakeholders to help them meet international quality and compliance requirements.

To further promote Pakistan’s horticulture industry, PHDEC will organize provincial Horticulture Expos, facilitate business-to-business (B2B) engagements, undertake cluster mapping, and strengthen market intelligence initiatives aimed at identifying new export opportunities.

Jam Kamal Khan commended PHDEC’s achievements, particularly the success of the Fruit Bagging Initiative, which he said has significantly improved the quality and export competitiveness of Pakistani fruits in premium international markets, including Japan, South Korea, China, and the European Union.

He emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between provincial governments, research institutions, financial organizations, and the private sector to modernize horticultural value chains and unlock Pakistan’s full export potential.

Reaffirming the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to export-led economic growth, the minister assured PHDEC of continued support in promoting innovation, quality enhancement, value addition, and sustainable market expansion, describing the horticulture sector as a key driver of agricultural development, rural prosperity, and export diversification.