Islamabad, August 19, 2025 – The Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) convened its historic first meeting of the newly constituted board on August 18, 2025, featuring expanded representation from all four provinces. The board unanimously approved an ambitious 3-year plan to elevate horticulture exports to $2 billion by 2028, targeting key crops such as kinnow, mangoes, dates, and value-added products, supported by modern infrastructure and high-value markets. Developed through extensive consultations with provincial stakeholders, the plan addresses critical sector challenges—including low yields, high post-harvest losses, and limited value addition—while seizing opportunities in markets like GCC, ASEAN, Africa, China, Central Asia, and the EU.
The strategy includes several key initiatives to drive export-led growth. It features enhanced skill development through workshops and webinars, alongside cluster and value chain development, and R&D efforts. Targeted commodities span primary crops like citrus, mango, banana, dates, onion, potato, chilies, and garlic, as well as secondary crops such as peach, cherry, tomato, olives, floriculture, guava, grapes, nuts, spices, and medicinal plants. Interventions focus on production, pre-harvest, post-harvest stages, digital agriculture, and e-commerce connectivity.
Market research and strategic planning encompass eight studies, including diversified product development, high-density orchards, fruit bagging, export potential for peaches and guava, China market analysis, brand development, organic certification, exotic fruits introduction, and AI-driven demand prediction.
Infrastructure development, supported by the Export Development Fund (EDF) includes 37 value-added projects across provinces, such as solar drying units for chilies, mango dehydration facilities, certified nurseries for cherries and nuts, olive oil extraction units, date processing plants, and support for global certifications like Global GAP, HACCP, and ISO 22000. Additionally, three cold chain projects will establish storages in production hubs and cargo facilities at airports and seaports.
Market access facilitation including SPS approvals and coordination with the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) for dossiers on guava, strawberry, banana, dates, melon, and apricot for China, plus monitoring cherry exports and advancing access to Thailand, Philippines, USA, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The plan also includes regular coordination meetings, data tracking, minimum export prices, trade negotiation capacity building, and export promotion councils.
PHDEC will support growers and exporters with subsidized participation in international exhibitions like Gulfood, ANUGA, and SIAL Paris, establishing a dedicated horticulture pavilion at FoodAg exhibitions. Horticulture companies will be encouraged to join delegations to promising markets such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam, with logistics support via the National Logistics Cell (NLC) for Central Asian markets, including Afghanistan. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Ministry of Commerce will assist through 58 trade missions.
To execute this vision, PHDEC will recruit technical experts, including horticulture specialists, international advisors, legal advisors, food technologists, nutritionists, branding experts, data analysts, IT experts, and research associates. This initiative reflects PHDEC’s dedication to reducing post-harvest losses by up to 50%, aligning export-production ratios and prices with global averages, boosting processing from 5-10%, mechanizing operations, and tapping new high-end markets, thereby strengthening Pakistan’s horticulture sector competitiveness and agricultural GDP growth
