PESHAWAR: Dr. Aamir Abdullah, the caretaker minister for Industries, Commerce, Technical Education, and Newly Merged Districts Affairs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, announced the government’s decision to process fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products in accordance with international standards and develop them into a lucrative business sector. He made this declaration while chairing a meeting at the Committee Room of the Industries, Commerce, and Technical Education Department in the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Syed Zulfikar Ali Shah, Secretary of Industries, Commerce, and Technical Education, along with officials from various subsidiary sectors, including agro-business expert Saleem abne Fazil, who is also the head of Alfazil Institute of Technology Lahore.
The caretaker minister urged relevant authorities to take concrete steps to focus on these sectors, alongside more traditional investment sectors, with the goal of generating maximum profits for the province’s economic development.
During the meeting, Saleem abne Fazil, head of the Agriculture Business and Training Institute, provided a detailed presentation on the enhanced utilization of fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products, emphasizing improvements in quality to meet market demand, drawing from successful practices in other countries.
Meeting participants emphasized the need for more effective use of the province’s available resources and agreed to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for collaborative efforts between department subsidiary bodies and the training institute. This collaboration will involve the institute providing quality training to interested youth in technical and vocational training institutes to harness their expertise for the benefit of these sectors.
The provincial minister highlighted the investment potential in the province, citing the cultivation of four million wild olive plants in tribal district Orakzai as an example of profitable opportunities. However, he stressed the necessity for full attention and practical steps to realize these opportunities for socio-economic advancement.
