Fruit and Vegetable Value Addition in Agriculture

Significance Of processing

•       Promotes vital linkages and synergies between the two pillars of the economy, Industry and Agriculture

   Benefits to the economy:

•       Raising agricultural yields

•       Creating employment

•       Raising the standard of people

•       Manufacturing and processing of primary products of agriculture

•       brings additional revenues

•       also helps the poor farming community to gain maximum benefit from their produce

Approaches to fruit and vegetable processing in Pakistan

•       Very basic and sometimes crude approaches

•       largest industry

•       27% of its value-added production, and 16% of the total employment by the manufacturing sector

•       About 75% of the rural-based informal sector unregulated

•       Finds difficulty in accessing essential raw materials and other resources

•       Finance skills, knowledge and management

•       lacking marketing and quality (especially hygiene) standards, low wages, ill-educated workers 

The food processing sector and agriculture raw material

•       Value addition to the agricultural produce starting at the post harvest level

•       Primary processing like grading, sorting, cutting, seeding, shelling, packaging etc.

•       This sector involves the processing of following heads:

•       Fruits

•       Vegetables

Fruits and Vegetables

•       Suitable climate

•       Punjab dominates the production of both fruits(63%) mostly Citrus and Mango and vegetables (60%) specially potatoBalochistan: the second largest producer mainly apple and dates.

•       In horticulture industry, little changes in production technology, harvesting practices, packaging and post harvest care

•       Unable to establish itself in export markets

•       Small fruit and vegetable processing industry based around the major cities

•       Enormous potential for the date processing plants in Sind

•       only two in Khairpur city

•       25 small and medium industrial production units of squashes, jams and jellies, pickles

•       Estimated capacity of 45,000 mt

•       Meager quantity of canned fruits and vegetables

Challenges

•       Post harvest losses due to lack of storage and transport infrastructure Integrating the individual food factories with backward and forward linkages

•       Ignorance from quality management systems

•       Lack of coordination links with academia, industry and research organizations

•       Weak regulatory system

•       Lack of investment in the supply chain

•       Unequipped food analysis laboratories

•       Inefficient market structure

•       Lack of adequate trained manpower

•       Rural poverty and malnutrition

Rules for maximizing value addition in food chain in Pakistan

Agriculture :

•       High productivity of the desired raw material must be determined

•       A demand driven approach must be followed.

Intermediate processing:  

•       Critical post harvest handling and storage facilities

•       Close understanding and relationship between intermediate processors & the final manufacturers

•       Processing facilities should be installed near the source of the raw material.

•       Consistent availability of good quality raw material

•       reduce the cost

  Food Manufacturing :

•       Food manufacturers have some issues as follows :

•       Inability to manage raw material supply

•       Higher inputs cost and poor labor skills

•       Poor financial support for R&D

•       Poor technical choices and a lack of innovation

•       Poor safety standards

The policy and strategy

•       The Policy will seek to create an appropriate environment for entrepreneurs to set up Food Processing Industries

•        The government's Agricultural Policy focuses on :

•       Increasing productivity

•       Sustainable food security

•       Commercial agriculture

Agricultural Policy

•       Income diversification

•       Export orientation

•       Simplification of food laws

STRATEGY

•       The key policies and strategies of the Government of Pakistan related to food processing technologies are as follows :

•       Agriculture will be diversified into high-value crops.

•       Special emphasis will be laid on growing fruits and vegetables for the export market.

The private sector will be encouraged to establish processing, grading, packaging, refrigeration and storage, etc., through provision of liberal credit

•       Strengthening the process of agricultural modernization by increasing productivity through

•       diversifying agriculture into high- value crops,

•       improving the pricing, marketing, grading and distribution systems to improve farmers' income.

•       Fruits and vegetables processing and preservation plants and export companies will be established in growing areas of these commodities.

•       Post-harvest handling and preservation of fish catch will be improved by providing chilling/refrigeration system in the traditional boats through the financial assistance of (SMEDA)

Future prospects

•       Tremendous potential exists in primary processing of agriculture

•       The key low-cost technologies needed are as follows :

•       Seed / grain drying, aeration and storage technology

•       Application of extrusion technology in cereals

•       Rice drying technology for obtaining higher head rice yield

•       Efficient dal (pulses) processing technology

•       Rice par-boiling technology

•       Apricot and dates drying and processing technology

•       Modified atmosphere technology for fruits and vegetables

•       Pre-cooling technology for fruits and vegetables

•       Cool stores for potatoes, citrus, and apples

•       Fruits and vegetables cleaning, grading, and packing technology

•       Small-scale fruit juice technology for the remote fruit growing areas

•       Rice par-boiling technology

•       Apricot and dates drying and processing technology

Suggestions:

•       Focus on agro- based processed products rather than fresh crops

•       Development of linkages between industry and research organizations

•       Development of specific agro-processing zones

•       Focus on brand building

•       Awareness among consumers

•       Improving process efficiency and decreasing losses

•       Need a stronger information base for farmers EFER