Khairpur Dates Wholesale market
Project Background
Khairpur with annual production of around 250,000 metric tons is the single largest date producing district in Pakistan. In addition to the local production, dates produced in other major production centers of the country like Turbat and Panjgoor in Baluchistan and Dhakki in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also brought to Khairpur and adjoining Sukkur for wholesaling purposes. Such large volumes warrant efficient infrastructure to cater to the trading and other logistical needs of producers and traders.
Wholesale market is the most important link in the supply chain of any agricultural produce. However, poor logistics and infrastructure facilities in Khairpur with respect to wholesaling of dates have seriously restricted the development of this extremely high potential crop. The existing date wholesale market of Khairpur is incapable of supporting the large trade volumes taking place during the peak season as the current physical structure has serious flaws in its design, size and location. There are multiple regulatory as well as operational limitations that restrict upgrading the existing structure of the market. Many other horticulture products such as banana, mango, guava and host of fresh vegetables also grow in the region. Like dates none of the other horticulture products produced in the area have any decent wholesaling facility.
Sindh Agriculture Department is desirous of encouraging the establishment, in a new location, of a horticulture wholesale market catering for large scale buying and selling transactions involving primarily dates, and also catering for wholesale dealing in a number of other horticulture products like Banana, Vegetables, Guava, Mangos etc.
Date Production of Pakistan
With around 600,000 metric tons annual production, Pakistan holds around 10% of world date production and hence ranks as one of the top date producing countries in the world. The Date plantation only in the Khairpur District is estimated over an area of around 30,000 hectares which is 95% of the total plantation in Sindh. Technically speaking date is produced in all four provinces of Pakistan but around 90% of country’s production comes from Sindh.
Project Purpose
The Project will facilitate systematic and organized wholesaling activity in dates and other horticultural products of the Khairpur region. The project would serve as a model for future agriculture wholesale market in the province of Sindh.
Project Features
- Admin Block comprising of offices, banks, first aid center etc.- Dates section comprising of 240 shops of 500 sq feet each auction shed of 1000 sq feet and dry storage space of 2,000 sq ft
- Vegetable and Seasonal Fruits section comprising of 90 shops of 500 sq feet auction shed of 1,000 sq feet
- Banana section comprising of 12 shops of 500 sq feet auction shed of 5,000 sq feet each
- Space available for Cold Storage to accommodate at-least 300,000 crates of dates.
- The 20% of the total envisaged Cold Storage will be constructed by Developer
- The remaining 80% will be bided out to a separate party
- Space available for 30 room hotel to be bided out separately
- Space available for 5 Banks to be bidded out separately
- Mosques, Restaurant, Fire Station, Medical Centre, Post Office and Internet Facility, Police Post, Common Toilets
- Underground and overhead water tanks
- Sewerage treatment plant
- Solid Waste Management Plant
- Banana, Dates and Vegetable Retail Sheds
- Electricity from KSEZ captive power plant
Size of Land reserved for the Project 20 Acres
Proposed Location of Land
The Project site is located at the main National Highway (N-5) at Deh Tando Nazar Ali, Taluka and District Khairpur which is approximately 10km away from main Khairpur city. The site has been selected outside the city on main highway to ease accessibility, to manage the large traffic volumes.
Discontinue Operations at Existing Wholesale MarketAll activity must be discontinued at the existing wholesale market through an Executive Order as soon as the new market becomes operational. Public nuisance due to traffic congestion as well as safety hazard due to railway tracks could be cited as reasons for such a decision.
Incentivize Early MoversIt is recommended that in order to jumpstart the project the Sindh Government should not only develop an incentive package to compensate the trouble of relocating and to entice few early movers. The incentive could be in the shape of subsidized price of shops to attract Commission Agents/ Growers to invest in the new market.
Land & InfrastructureGovernment of Sindh would provide free of cost land for the project whereas developer would be required to invest in building complete infrastructure for the wholesale market