SMEDA Chief Executive Officer, Muhammad Alamgir Chaudhry revealed this while talking to Business Recorder. The Agriculture Department, Government of Sindh, which is the project partner had provided land for the centre that aimed at enhancing the quality of dried red chillies and increase the profitability of growers by providing a prompt drying solution during the monsoon season when harvesting starts, he said.
He said that 85.2 percent of the total chillies produced, approximately 82,000 tones are grown in Sindh, mostly in Umer Kot, Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, Sanghar and Badin districts. SMEDA chief said that there has been an acute problem of aflatoxin in chillies where the climate and lack of resources compromise production. Strict regulations in developed countries means that only the best quality commodities, only up to 4 percent of production, are exported leaving the remainder, which have higher toxin concentrations for domestic consumers, he said.
Because of non availability of adequate dehydration/drying and storage facilities a huge part of the produce goes to waste every year. Wastage is estimated to be as high as 30-35 percent. Although the food processing industry of Pakistan has made some headway but still has weak impact on agriculture. The need for this project was mainly felt because of the fact that chillies in Pakistan, at present are contaminated with various bacteria, including the highly toxic substance, aflatoxin, he added.
Alamgir Chaudhry said that it was planned to set up a plant with 20 dehydrating machines at Kunri, adding the processing facility comprises four separate units, each mounted with 5 static dehydrating machines, with a combined input capacity of 30 tones chilies per day. The project would opt innovative drying techniques, which would reduce the moisture content of the fresh chillies from 70 percent to 7-10 percent. The centre would be the first of its kind in the country for providing mechanical dehydration faculties to local growers, traders and exporters of red chillies, he said.
Giving background of the project, SMEDA chief said that Pakistan being an agriculture country possesses a number of potential agro-based industries, therefore, the SMEDA while developing sectoral development strategies gave special importance to post-harvest processing of the agricultural produces that has been observed as a major missing link in development of the agro-based SMEs.
He said that the Red Chili Processing Centre has not only resolved all such problems but would also pave the way for establishment of the similar projects in the private sector. He was confident the operation of SMEDA project in Kunri would not only enhance the profitability of local growers and traders, but will also increase the export of red chillies by meeting the international processing standards.