Agreement signed for establishing cold storage in NWDs

PESHAWAR, Apr 04 (APP): First time a high-level grant agreement signed with private sector investors in the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for establishing a cold storage and cardboard cartons manufacturing unit in Wana, South Waziristan.

The Horticulture Advancement Activity (THAzA), a USAID-funded Project, which is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Balochistan and the NMDs, is designed to improve competitiveness of the potential horticultural value chains within the target regions and markets, said a press release issued here.

THAzA supports through in-kind matching grant’s assistance of PKR 17.85 million will set up a cold storage aimed at addressing the major constraints that are becoming impediments in the trading of fresh horticultural produce, which emanate due to lack of proper postharvest handling and storage facilities.

With the establishment of this, farmers will be able to store their produce for longer and to avoid peak season glut in the markets and produced low prices for producers.

With another grant of PKR 15.568 million, a corrugated cardboard cartons manufacturing unit will be setup, catering to the needs of horticultural products, cosmetics and pharma industry for production of different types of packing material locally for the market-preferred best quality products.

The two first-ever grant agreements were signed for NMDs with two local Private Investors, Ali Muhammad and Pir Rahman from Wana, South Waziristan who will respectively establish a 300-MT capacity Cold Storage and a Packaging Material Production Unit which will boost the horticulture sector in the NMDs.

Director General Agriculture Research, KP, Dr. Muhammad Abdur Rauf, Chief Guest of the occasion, highlighted the importance of the horticulture sector for the region and hoped that climate-smart type targeted actions and promotion of the high-quality and high-value fruits and vegetables can become a game-changer for the region which has the capacity to contribute to the enhanced food security, high incomes of the local producers and more jobs’ creation in the area.

At the start of the event, the DG Agriculture Research System, KP, Director Planning and Development (Research) and other distinguished guests were oriented on THAzA goal, approach and implemented actions.

FAO-KP Head Mujibur Rahman hoped that these first ever innovations, technological advancements and grants on cost-share basis will improve the overall situation within the targeted Value Chains and inspire local farmers to adopt the validated actions of Cold Store and Packaging Unit in the entire belt.

Director Planning and Dev. Research, Fazal Wahab also shed light on some of the key aspects of the apple, apricot, grapes, and tomato value chains and emphasized the need for introducing small-scale innovative processing units, in the area to check the excessive wastage of certain fruits and vegetables during the peak season.