• PM Shehbaz inaugurates 2nd International Food and Agriculture Exhibition at Karachi Expo Centre
• Over 650 foreign buyers from more than 70 countries are participating in the event that concludes tomorrow

KARACHI: “Spicy hot or sweet and sour?” The young man behind the big two clay pots at a stall asked before adding a concoction into a crunchy crisp hollow fluffed up gol gappa ball for you to sample in a small silver-foil bowl. The burst of flavours inside the mouth then made you want to go looking for something cool to drink.

“Fruit punch, plain mango or lemonade?” asked the young ladies as they invited you to sample the cool beverages from their transparent juice dispensers at another stall.

It was like that in almost all the exhibition halls, from one to six, at the Karachi Expo Centre on the first day of the three-day 2nd International Food and Agriculture Exhibition, FoodAg.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the exhibition which was organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the ministry of commerce on Friday.

Visitors could taste sweetmeats, toffees, confectionery items, pizza, paratha, other cooked food items divided or broken into small proportions or pieces, ice cream and what not.

And if they were interested in raw food, there were also different kinds of halal meat cuts in refrigerated showcases. Along with all that, many stalls also had on display varieties and categories of grains including wheat, rice and maize. There were also various salts such as rock salt, sea salt, iodised salt and even bath salts. Plus, sesame seeds and fruit and vegetable stalls with juicy mangoes, huge banana bunches, shiny apples and pears, dragon fruit and also dried fruit. Among the vegetables one could find potatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, brinjals, etc.

It all was pulling in big crowds at the Expo Centre. Besides locals, the exhibition was also visited by many foreign guests from various countries including China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, South Africa, Gambia, Senegal, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, etc., who showed much interest in Pakistani food and agriculture products and went about sampling various things while also gathering important information.

For instance, at the Daily Fresh Farm stall, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that dragon fruit can be cultivated in Karachi. A team of horticulturists at the stall said that the cacti-like dragon fruit plant bears fruit within one and a half years of being planted.

Mian Ramzan Siddiq from Japan, who had also attended the previous Food and Agriculture Exhibition held here last year, observed that the exhibition is bigger and far better organised this time.

Mariam Owais, who was also visiting from Japan and representing Nestle, said that she felt promoting the agriculture and food industry of Pakistan was a good development for the country.

Rafia Syed and Fouzia Chaudhry, from TDAP, said that the sustained marketing effort from Pakistan for two years now is heartening. “There are so many companies here that we didn’t even know existed. It is good to know of them these days when the younger generation is boycotting Israeli products as we have so many other options,” said Ms Syed.

Earlier, while inaugurating the exhibition, the prime minister highlighted the substantial opportunities for increasing agricultural exports.

Accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Governor Kamran Tessori, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, TDAP Chief Executive Zubair Motiwala, Minister of Trade, Turkiye, Dr Omer Bolat, and other leading businessmen, he stated that the target for agricultural exports should be set at $7 billion for the upcoming year.

The prime minister emphasised the need for modern technology and research to enhance exports and supported the initiative to send 1,000 graduates annually to China for agricultural training. He affirmed the government’s dedication to advancing the agricultural sector and increasing exports, citing recent projects and collaboration opportunities with China and Gulf countries.

FoodAg is a sector specific trade event where buyers from all across the world are invited to visit Pakistan and meet their business partners in the country and see for themselves the whole range of agro-food sector products showcased and offered by local companies to meet their procurement and sourcing needs.

This year around 650 plus foreign buyers/importers are visiting from more than 70 countries to participate in the event where some 330 exhibitors have exhibited their products.

The 2nd International Food and Agriculture Exhibition concludes on Sunday (tomorrow).

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024