• Projects to be located in Sindh and Balochistan • Aimed at boosting value addition and exports
ISLAMABAD, October 30,2025 : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will set up three date processing plants in Pakistan under a new bilateral cooperation framework that will soon be formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the Ministry of National Food Security announced on Wednesday.
The initiative was finalised during a virtual meeting between Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and UAE representatives, including Ms Simisola Nicola Abere, to promote value addition and enhance Pakistan’s global competitiveness in the date sector.
The plants will be set up in major date-producing regions such as Sindh and Balochistan.https://t.co/kVtoIoGhcu
— Dawn Business (@dawn_business) October 30, 2025
The plants will be established in Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan’s main date-producing regions. Both sides agreed to accelerate implementation once the MoU is signed, with coordination to be overseen by the ministry’s secretary.
Pakistan produces over half a million tonnes of dates annually on more than 100,000 hectares of land. Its date exports exceed $50 million each year, with major markets including the UAE, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Türkiye.
Minister Hussain said the collaboration reflects growing agricultural cooperation between Islamabad and Abu Dhabi and would help modernise Pakistan’s date industry through advanced processing, packaging, and marketing techniques.
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Ms Abere reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to fast-track the projects under the new cooperation framework, saying they would “help unlock Pakistan’s export potential in high-value agricultural products.”
Officials said the initiative is expected to create local jobs, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand Pakistan’s footprint in global agri-food value chains.
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