Pakistan Becomes World’s Fifth Largest Date Producer

Pakistan is now the fifth largest producer of dates in the world. The country grows around 500,000 tons of dates annually. A research report by the Associated Press of Pakistan confirmed this achievement. Experts from the Date Palm Research Institute shared key insights about national date production and growth areas.

Currently, Pakistan has 82,000 hectares of land under date cultivation. Sindh leads all provinces with 252,300 tons of annual production. Balochistan follows with 192,800 tons, while Punjab produces 42,600 tons. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contributes the least, with just 8,900 tons of dates.

Experts noted that Pakistan is home to over 150 date varieties. The Makran division alone has more than 130 types. This makes Pakistan one of the most diverse countries in terms of date cultivation. However, despite the high production, the country’s date exports remain low.

At present, Pakistani dates are exported to 23 international markets. These include India, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Nepal. India is the largest importer of Pakistani dates. Yet, the export volume does not match the country’s production potential.

The researchers stressed the need to expand exports. Doing so would allow access to new markets and generate valuable foreign exchange. They also believe that increasing exports can help stabilize the national economy.