INP-WealthPk
Agricultural marketing infrastructure needs modernization.
August 31, 2022
Agriculture is Pakistan's most significant industry and the main driver of economic expansion and growth. The development of a comprehensive and efficient agricultural marketing system offering beneficial services to the stakeholders is crucial for the sector's growth.
Talking to WealthPK, Prof Dr. Muhammad Azam Khan, Chairman of Department of Horticulture, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, said, “The sporadic food crisis in Pakistan has highlighted many imperfections and inefficiencies in the agricultural marketing system. There are a number of factors that negatively impact the efficiency of the marketing system, including lack of contemporary wholesale markets, inadequate farm-to-market, storage, and cold-chain networks, insufficient processing and packaging facilities, a weak agricultural marketing information system, as well as poor post-harvest management procedures.”
“There is no proper mode of transportation for fruits and vegetables. Due to lack of specialized vehicles, vegetables and fruits are transported from farms to the major markets using the same cart or truck as for many other purposes, including transporting animals. Chilled transportation systems such as reefer trucks should be used to transport these fruits to the market. Recently, on a limited scale, reefer trucks have been made available in several areas of Pakistan,” he said.
“It is also important to ensure that packaging materials are of high quality, but here in Pakistan, fruits and vegetables are packaged with local materials before shipping. In most cases, this type of packaging does not maintain the quality and freshness of the products. Moreover, there are no cooling and packaging centers, and there are insufficient cold storage facilities at or near the wholesale markets to preserve the produce,’’ he added.
Dr. Azam further said, “The smooth operation of the agricultural marketing system is hampered by inadequate agricultural marketing infrastructure and inefficient post-harvest processing of farm products, which causes quantitative and qualitative losses and harm to the stakeholders' welfare.”
The losses caused by improper post-harvest processing of agricultural produce are significant, especially for perishable commodities. An estimated 35 to 40 percent of the overall yield of fruits and vegetables is wasted.
Dr. Azam further said Pakistan has a large export market for agricultural products, particularly fruits, vegetables, and livestock, but strict application of international standards prevented them from reaching their full potential.
“Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations, in particular, limit Pakistan's ability to export agricultural and food products to developed countries. In some cases, Pakistan's current manufacturing and marketing processes are incompatible with SPS criteria,” he said.
“To improve the agricultural marketing system, a comprehensive and aggressive strategy is required. The government cannot accomplish the desired goals on its own. To introduce innovations and enhance post-harvest management and the infrastructure supporting agricultural marketing, the farming community and the private sector also need to shake hands with the public sector. For the marketing system to succeed, the government, the private sector, and all stakeholders must adhere to the government's reform agenda and continue it on a sustainable basis,” he added.
Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk
