Pakistan’s Date Palm Industry: Sweet Fruit, Bitter Struggles

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Pakistan’s Date Palm Industry: Sweet Fruit, Bitter Struggles

On a scorching afternoon in Khairpur, Sindh, farmer Abdul Majeed climbs a 40-foot date palm with the ease of someone who has done it his whole life. With a sickle in one hand and a rope around his waist, he cuts down heavy bunches of golden Aseel dates. Within hours, the fruit will be spread out on mats to dry in the open sun — the same method his father and grandfather used.

“We lose so much because of the rains,” he says, pointing to piles of spoiled dates. “One unexpected downpour and half the crop is gone.”

Majeed’s frustration mirrors that of thousands of growers across Pakistan’s date-producing belt. The country is the world’s fifth-largest producer of dates, harvesting around 5.5 million tonnes annually, mostly from Sindh and Balochistan, with smaller shares from Punjab and KP. Yet, despite this impressive output, Pakistan earns far less than competitors like Saudi Arabia or Tunisia.

A Golden Crop with Global Demand

Dates are a billion-dollar global industry. From high-end Medjool dates in Jordan and California to Tunisia’s Deglet Noor, countries have built premium brands around the fruit. Pakistan, by contrast, mostly exports bulk, low-priced dates to India, Bangladesh, and the Middle East.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan exports roughly 125,000 tonnes annually, earning about $50 million — a figure far below its true potential. Dry dates dominate exports, particularly to the UAE and South Asia, while premium fresh varieties barely make it to high-value markets like Europe or North America.

Industry insiders say this isn’t due to lack of quality. “Pakistan has more than 300 varieties, some of them exceptional,” explains Dr. Nadeem Shah, an agricultural scientist in Karachi. “But without proper grading, packaging, and marketing, they get sold as cheap commodity dates instead of premium products.”

Post-Harvest Losses: The Hidden Drain

The real problem begins after harvest. Post-harvest losses are staggering — some studies put them at 30–40%. Dates left to dry on mats under the open sky attract dust, insects, and sudden monsoon showers.

“Growers are using centuries-old methods, while global markets demand hygienic, standardized processing,” says exporter Imran Sheikh, whose company supplies dates to Europe. “When a European buyer sees mold or uneven coloring, the shipment is rejected.”

Farmer Spotlight: Khairpur, Sindh

At this year’s Khairpur Date Palm Festival, growers gathered under the swaying palms not just to showcase their harvest but also to voice frustrations. Among them was Rashid Ali, a third-generation date farmer. Standing by baskets of freshly harvested Aseel dates, Rashid explained how unpredictable rains last year wiped out nearly a third of his crop.

“We don’t have covered drying facilities,” he said. “If it rains at the wrong time, the fruit is ruined. We can’t compete with the packaged dates from Saudi Arabia or Tunisia when ours are sold loose in the bazaar.”

Khairpur’s growers account for almost 60% of Pakistan’s production, but like Rashid, most still rely on traditional drying mats and local traders. The result: low returns despite high effort.

Local officials admit the gap. “We are losing billions in potential exports,” said one Sindh agriculture department officer at the festival. “Our dates are world-class, but without processing and branding, they are treated as low-value goods.”

The festival also showcased small-scale innovations — from vacuum-packed dates by young entrepreneurs to research projects on disease-resistant varieties at Shah Abdul Latif University. Yet for farmers like Rashid, these remain distant promises.

“We hear about new technology and tissue culture labs,” he said, “but on the ground, we are still climbing trees with ropes and drying dates on the soil.”

Farmer Spotlight: Panjgur, Balochistan

In Panjgur, Balochistan, the date palms stand tall against a harsh, arid backdrop. This region contributes nearly half of Pakistan’s date production, with varieties like Begum Jangi and Muzawati prized locally. Yet, farmers here face some of the toughest conditions.

Ali Raza, a 42-year-old farmer from Panjgur, has been tending date palms since childhood. His family’s orchard produces several tons each year, but much of it never makes it past the local market.

“We sell to middlemen because we have no cold storage, no processing plants,” Raza explained. “By the time the dates reach Karachi, they are worth four times more. We get the least, while traders and exporters take the profit.”

The lack of infrastructure in Balochistan is stark. Unlike Khairpur, which has festivals and some pilot processing units, Panjgur growers often work in isolation. Modern packaging is rare, and transport to major cities can take days in extreme heat, reducing quality.

Local agricultural experts warn that without investment, Balochistan’s growers will remain stuck. “The potential is huge,” said an agronomist in Turbat. “If Panjgur had just one modern processing facility, exports could double. Farmers would finally see the benefit of their hard work.”

Still, farmers like Ali Raza continue to climb their palms each summer, hoping for better days.

“Our dates are sweet, but the system is bitter,” he said with a weary smile.

Missed Opportunities in Value Addition

In international markets, dates are not just eaten raw. They’re turned into syrup, sugar, paste, energy bars, chocolates, and even vinegar. Pakistan, however, exports mostly raw or semi-dried dates.

“We are leaving money on the table,” argues Sheikh. “A kilo of raw dates might sell for $1. But process it into syrup or packaged snacks, and the value jumps to $5 or $6.”

A few private companies have started producing date-based products for supermarkets in Karachi and Lahore, but these remain small-scale and fragmented.

The Road Ahead

There are signs of progress. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE, signed in late 2024, aims to modernize Pakistan’s date industry by introducing processing plants, better storage facilities, and branding initiatives. The Pakistan International Date Palm Festival 2025 is also being positioned as a platform to attract investment and buyers from around the world.

Experts suggest a roadmap that includes:

  • Tissue culture labs to preserve elite varieties.

  • Cold storage facilities to maintain freshness.

  • Processing units to cut post-harvest losses.

  • Branding and marketing campaigns to push Aseel and Dhakki onto premium global shelves.

  • Direct farmer–exporter linkages to bypass exploitative middlemen.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s date palm industry is at a crossroads. With fertile soil, rich varieties, and centuries of tradition, it has all the ingredients for success. But unless the country modernizes how it processes, markets, and exports its dates, farmers like Rashid in Khairpur and Ali Raza in Panjgur will keep climbing tall palms only to watch much of their hard-earned fruit spoil.

The world craves sweet, nutritious dates — the question is whether Pakistan can capture its fair share of that sweetness, or let it slip away once again.

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