Karachi, The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to promote the growing of ‘ Peanuts ‘ as it is the food of the under privileged and the present production is unable to meet the domestic demand resulting in imports, short supplies and increasing cost.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said peanuts is like the dry fruits for the under privileged class and has high nutrition value also and besides many sweet items are made with peanuts and brown sugar. The prices of dry fruits have increased beyond comprehension making it difficult for the lower income group to even buy it on auspicious occasions and therefore there is need for enhancing peanuts production manifold. The imported peanuts are costly due to the freight and clearing charges and the profit of the importer and middlemen is added to the cost and this commodity becomes expensive even for the lower income group.
He called upon SMEDA to plan promotion of the commodity to increase production as it can be grown in all the provinces successfully if proper guidance is provided to the farmers.
He said India and China have increased their production of peanuts by facilitating their farmers and are now in a position to meet their domestic demands and export as well.
Pakistan has meager production and is importing from India and China to meet its domestic demands.
