Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, held a detailed virtual meeting with the United Arab Emirates delegation to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the date sector. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry, including Federal Secretary Ameer Muhyuddin, who shared insights on potential areas of collaboration and investment. The UAE delegation was represented by Ms. Simisola Nicola Abere, the focal person for the UAE side, who appreciated Pakistan’s initiatives in promoting sustainable agricultural development.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister highlighted Pakistan’s huge potential in the date sector, noting that the country is among the leading date-producing nations of the world. The Minister shared that Pakistan’s annual production has reached over half a million tonnes, cultivated on more than a hundred thousand hectares of land. He emphasized that the major producing regions include Balochistan and Sindh, where popular varieties such as Aseel, Muzawati, Dhakki, Rabbi, Begum Jangi, Karbala, and Khudri are grown. The participants discussed Pakistan’s current export performance, which has recorded consistent growth, with the UAE, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Türkiye among the main destinations. The Minister pointed out that Pakistan’s exports, valued at over US$50 million, have shown remarkable expansion, while shipment data also reflects a significant rise in export volumes and diversification of international buyers.
Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain underscored the challenges confronting the date industry, including the country’s earlier dependence on a single export market, limited value addition, quality and SPS compliance issues, post-harvest losses, and gaps in packaging, branding and cold chain facilities. He noted that despite these challenges, Pakistan has a vast untapped potential for increasing productivity and value-added exports through innovation, investment and technology transfer. The Minister expressed the government’s resolve to facilitate partnerships that would enhance processing, packaging, and marketing capabilities of the sector.
The Federal Secretary, Ameer Muhyuddin, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to translating this cooperation into tangible results. He emphasized that the proposed collaboration with the UAE would help in establishing modern date processing plants, improving value addition, and enhancing Pakistan’s competitiveness in the global market. The Secretary briefed the meeting on the ongoing initiatives of the Ministry, including research support through the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the establishment of pilot projects in arid regions, especially in Sindh and Balochistan, where climate-resilient varieties are being cultivated successfully.
Ms. Simisola Nicola Abere, representing the UAE, appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in developing the date sector and announced that the UAE would expedite the process for the establishment of three processing plants in Pakistan as part of the cooperation framework. She added that both sides would formalize their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and relevant UAE authorities. This MoU would serve as the foundation for joint projects in value addition, technology transfer, and export enhancement.
The Minister appreciated the UAE’s interest and reiterated that this collaboration aligns with the Government of Pakistan’s vision to move towards an export-oriented and value-added agriculture sector. He said that through such partnerships, Pakistan could enhance its export earnings, create new employment opportunities, and improve the livelihoods of farmers. He also highlighted the need for market diversification, research-based production, and capacity building for small farmers and women entrepreneurs involved in date processing.
Both sides agreed to accelerate the implementation of the agreed initiatives immediately after the MoU signing. It was further decided that coordination between the Ministry and the UAE side would continue through the office of Secretary Ameer Muhyuddin, ensuring timely follow-up and facilitation. The Minister concluded the meeting by expressing his optimism that the upcoming collaboration with the UAE would serve as a milestone in promoting agricultural trade and investment between the two brotherly countries.
