Islamabad: Pakistan is gearing up to host its inaugural date festival in September, aiming to highlight its status as the world’s fifth-largest date producer and to boost the agricultural sector’s growth and international trade. The event, organized in collaboration with the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, seeks to enhance the visibility and marketability of Pakistani dates on a global scale.

According to Press Information Department, during a meeting with H.E. Dr. Abdul Wahab Zayed, Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award, Federal Minister for Industries and National Food Security, Rana Tanveer Hussain, expressed gratitude for the support in organizing the festival and promised full backing from his ministry. He discussed plans to increase date exports and the establishment of processing plants to extend the shelf life of dates and produce value-added products like date sugar and juice. These initiatives are expected to generate significant economic benefits for local farmers and create job opportunities in rural areas.