LAHORE:A two-day ‘Khad Mela and Pakistan Horti Expo 2023’, organised by the Punjab Agriculture Department, concluded at Expo Centre on Sunday.
A large number of officers and farmers, importers and exporters participated in the event. Forty-five delegations of importers and exporters from nine countries including Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Russia also participated in the international exhibition and 100 stalls were set up from domestic and international institutions.
Addressing the closing ceremony of the exhibition, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Ahmad Aziz Tarar said that agriculture sector in Pakistan was the source of foreign exchange acquisition of nearly 63 per cent, of which, total 70 percentage depended on the province of Punjab.
In terms of production of dates and citrus (kinnow, malta, orange) Pakistan ranks as the third largest country while in terms of production of mangoes, Pakistan ranks fourth in the world, he added. He said, “Pakistan has a prominent position in the export of horticultural products worldwide.”
He said that by organising “Khad Mela and Pakistan Horti Expo 2023”, farmers got awareness about the balanced use of fertilisers and horticultural crops. The exhibition helped enhance possibilities of Pakistani horticultural products getting new markets around the world.
A seminar was also organised to provide information about modern production technology to the participants on increasing the export of horticultural high value agricultural crops and their products, in which experts expressed their views about betterment in supply chain of horticultural products.
Closing ceremony was attended by South Punjab Agriculture Secretary Faisal Zahoor, Punjab Agriculture (Marketing) Special Secretary Waqar Hussain, Director General Extension Dr. Anjum Ali and Chief Scientist AARI, Faisalabad Muhammad Nawaz Khan Maiken along with other officers. At the end of the event, Secretary Agriculture, Punjab distributed commemorative shields among the participating delegates from abroad and officers of the agriculture department.