By Samia Khalid ISLAMABAD, Nov 10 (INP-WealthPK): Balochistan is Pakistan's fruit basket, producing 90 percent of the grapes, cherries, and almonds; 60 percent of peaches, pomegranates, and apricots; 34 percent apples, and 70 percent of dates, according to Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL). China-Pakistan partnership can help fully utilise the fruit production potential of Balochistan through promotion of technology. The province is well-known for its commercial grape cultivation. Grapes are farmed in bulk quantity in Quetta, Pishin, Kalat, Zhob, Loralai, and Mastung, which are now experiencing power outages. Lack of water facility caused by repeated power outages has badly damaged fruit plantations. The lack of technology necessary to prepare and pack the fruit according to international standards is the major cause of low export volume. Balochistan has a lot of room to grow peaches, citrus, cherries, strawberries, apples, melons, and apricots. Dehydrated fruits and vegetables are a novel value-added product that helps extend shelf life, save storage space, and facilitate transportation. This opens up export opportunities in the worldwide market, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asian republics, where these items are already well-known and command a premium price (ZTBL). Fruit crops are cultivated in the northern regions of the province. Its enormous output potential of high-quality deciduous fruits can be efficiently harnessed by investing in the province's establishment of “crop specific zones” and fruit processing facilities. Shortage of irrigation water, non-availability of groundwater in the highlands, lack of marketing infrastructure and facilities such as farm-to-market roads and sale centres, scarcity of skilled labour, and a lack of technical knowledge and expertise are among the major obstacles to long-term investment in fruit production. The following are some suggestions for efficient use of the country's fruit export potential:

1. A strong agriculture research system is required to effectively and completely exploit the country's fruit export potential.
2. To ensure high-quality fruit production, Balochistan should be divided into zones. The enormous output potential of the province may be efficiently utilised by building crop-specific zones and fruit processing plants.
3. Fruit production in Balochistan, which includes the south-western area, is reliant on groundwater resources. Serious efforts must be made to transition from a traditional to a technology-based farming system that uses suitable agricultural inputs in a way that is both technologically viable and economically successful.
4. To reduce fruit rotting, investment in cold storage rooms and air-conditioned transportation facilities can be improved.
5. Fruit cultivars with high yields, drought resilience, and disease resistance are needed. The initiatives taken by the province to expand fruit production and export would boost the country's foreign exchange reserves.
6. Private agribusiness companies from other provinces have shown a strong desire to invest in Balochistan, but they need assistance from the provincial government and local communities.
7. The treatment plants are used to keep produce fresh during the off-season. If similar plants are built in several areas along the coast of Balochistan, the country will generate a lot of capital. In this regard, Chinese expertise can be utilised.
8. If a dehydrated fruits and vegetables plant is established with the help of China and operated successfully, farmers may earn substantial money in the form of foreign exchange by exporting dehydrated fruits and vegetables, which would indirectly enhance the status of the farming community.

There is sufficient room for collaboration between China and Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), emphasising industrial and agricultural links. Both countries have the capacity to work together to promote technology particularly, in the areas of water conservation, seed production, product processing, ICT-enabled agriculture, remote sensing, and post-harvest agricultural practises, including storage and transportation. To gain from China in these areas, the Agriculture Department may construct a technological collaboration programme in which modern agricultural demonstration zones are formed and individual businesses and farmers are encouraged.