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Fruit production remains neglected
By Zafar Samdani
The current season present a riot of colors in the market
produced by a variety of fruits. There is not a fruit shop,
kiosk or hand or donkey pulled cart that does not display
mangoes, apples, apricots, peaches , grapes and winter melons
with their white pulp and dripping syrup and many other fruits
that are colorful, delicious and spread an appetizing smell in
the atmosphere.
 The scene is of course dominated by mangoes regarded as the
king of fruits and for good reason. Its taste is not just
superb but the kind that one does not want to wash away.
The mango season is nearing its end but the markets are still
full of the fruit, giving the surrounding a pale to golden
hue. Similarly, apricots are on the way out and so are peaches
but grapes and apples are taking their place on shelves and
carts and it is clear that for many weeks the colorfulness of
markets would sustain instead of fading.
The fruits prices have increased over the years but
considering the levels of inflation, they are still far more
reasonable than the prices of other commodities. Which means
that the growers are being deprived of their due and fair
share.
Actually, fruit growers, particularly those producing quickly
perishable fruits are rarely given proper reward of their
labor. The main profit goes to middlemen who purchase at low
rates, hand over the commodity to retailers and get out of the
business while the going is good.
The retailer is often as badly hit as grower because those
managing small level business have no facilities for keeping
fruit in cold storage and a considerable percentage of what
they purchase from middlemen simply rots.
The amount of fruit that is wasted is no body's business. No
one has ever calculated the quantities thus wasted but off
hand one feels that they must be massive. Two months back, the
President of Pakistan came up with an agriculture package that
has been lauded by sycophants across the country though
mercifully the National Assembly had some members who
criticized the package.
But their focus was more political than geared to the demands
and requirements of farmers; fruit growers, particularly small
farmers growing fruits, had no place in their rhetoric.
Neither was there a reference to fruits in the presidential
package which is unfortunate because the agriculture of
Pakistan is not just wheat, rice, sugar cane and cotton; its
range and potential are wide and properly exploited, they can
add to economic wealth of the country.
Fruits are one of the gifts of nature to Pakistan but like
many other assets, we have failed to be grateful and taken
things for granted. The government machinery that is supposed
to guide farmers and assist them professionally restricts
itself to main crops; such things as fruits and vegetables are
not on their agenda unless some influential farmer approaches
them.
It seems that know-how for fruits is limited in the government
agencies and they ignore the sector because of their
limitations. Mangoes get some attention but that is because of
their export value.
Moreover, most growers have big orchards and the new
generation of growers has started managing their orchards on
modern scientific lines. They are receiving excellent results
and, as a result, exports are increasing. But other fruits are
mostly neglected produce.
It is time, the government started attending to this sector
and developed it along professional, modern lines and also
came up with policies that offered incentives to fruit based
industries.
The fruits can be and should be preserved and, most
importantly, ways and means should be found to reduce the
quantity of wasted fruit. As it is, considerable quantities
are damaged during transportation from orchards and fields to
markets because of the awful state of farm to market roads and
transportation facilities that small farmers are forced to
use.
They have no option but t o rely on what is available in terms
of transport and what they get is some kind of rake off
arrangements. Fruit grading, packaging, better handling,
cleaning them of residue of sprays and better market
conditions are required to ensure that wastage is reduced and
farmers and growers get decent, if not, proper share for their
contribution.
What the government must do is come up with a policy for
fruits so that the grower is encouraged and investors find it
an area of their interest and of course benefit.
The real requirement of the fruit sector is a policy that
organizes it like the citrus fruit's handling. Citrus has
by-products and its market for exports has been established.
That has taken a long time but the example is there for the
government to follow. Breaking fresh ground is not the
pressure.
But the federal government will still have to go about things
methodically and meanwhile put provincial governments under
pressure to attend to frits more carefully as agriculture is a
provincial matter.
Courtesy: The DAWN
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