Pakistan's produce sector is facing structural limits that are constraining productivity growth, export performance, and rural incomes, according to expert assessments. For decades, agricultural policy has focused mainly on yield improvements through seeds, fertilisers, pest control, and extension services. While these measures delivered modest gains, overall output growth in fruit and vegetables has remained insufficient to offset population growth or materially reduce rural poverty.
Experts point to long-term underinvestment in agricultural research as a major constraint, particularly in the development of high-yielding and climate-adapted planting material for fruit and vegetable crops. As a result, productivity improvements in several produce categories have remained limited, reducing competitiveness in export markets.
Post-harvest losses further reduce the available supply. Estimates indicate that up to 30 per cent of fruit and vegetable production is lost due to inadequate storage, outdated handling practices, and contamination risks. Limited cold chain capacity and poor on-farm and wholesale infrastructure lead to quality deterioration, while export shipments have faced rejection due to aflatoxin contamination, restricting access to higher-value markets.
Experts argue that future growth in the produce sector will depend on a shift toward crop diversification and value addition. Pakistan is considered to have comparative advantages in higher-value produce such as garlic, turmeric, olives, peas, and groundnuts. Expanding production of these crops, combined with improved post-harvest handling and processing, is viewed as a pathway to improving farm margins and export performance.
Strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises involved in grading, processing, and packaging is also seen as a requirement, alongside more reliable supply chains and consistent access to export destinations. While some progress has been driven by farmer-led initiatives and private-sector input suppliers, government support for research, infrastructure, and export-oriented processing remains limited.
Analysts indicate that a coordinated policy framework focused on horticultural research, post-harvest loss reduction, crop diversification, and export compliance could help reposition produce production as a more stable source of rural employment and foreign exchange earnings.
Source: Daily Times
