LARKANA: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA), Larkana division, has urged the Sindh government to establish a modern guava processing industrial cluster between Larkana and Naudero under a publicprivate partnership or government-supported investment model.
In a letter addressed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, SCA Larkana President Sirajul Oliya Rashidi outlined the background of the proposal on Sunday, stating that Larkana Division particularly the areas of Larkana, Naudero, Madiji and Khairpur is one of Pakistan’s most critical guava-producing regions, with approximately 10,000 hectares under cultivation.
Thousandsoftonnesofpremium-quality guava are supplied annually from the region to wholesale markets across the country.
Copies of the communication were also dispatched to the senior minister for agriculture, the minister for industries and commerce, and the chairman of the Planning and Development Board, Sindh.
Highlighting its economic footprint, Rashidi noted that the guava industry serves as avitalsource of income for landowners, growers, contractors, farm workers, transporters, traders, commission agentsand thousands of rural households. Furthermore, it contributes significantly to the provincial exchequer through agricultural input sales, transport services, market activities, and tax revenues.
Detailing current challenges, the SCA president stressed that despite its economic importance, the sector continues to face severe constraints. He highlighted that climate change, extreme temperatures, irregular rainfall, and natural disasters are triggering escalating production losses.
Given that guava is a highly perishable fruit with a short post-harvest life, the total absence of processing and preservation facilities leads to substantial post-harvest losses every season. During peak production periods, market prices collapse due to oversupply, causing severe financial distress to growers and resulting in the wastage of large quantities of nutritious fruit.
To overcome these systemic issues, the SCA proposed establishing comprehensive industrial facilities, including a guava juice processing plant, guava pulp and puree processing unit, jam and jelly manufacturing unit, dried guava production facility featuring a frozen pulp and concentrate unit, modern cold storage and packhouse facilities, a quality testing and food safety laboratory, anda dedicated packaging and export facilitation centre.
Rashidi asserted that executing the project would yield substantial economic and social dividends. These include generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, ensuring higher and more stable incomes for growers, curbing post-harvest waste, and developing value-added agro-industries in rural Sindh.
He added that the initiative would foster entrepreneurship, spur privateinvestment, boost processed fruit exports to earn foreign exchange and strengthen climate resilience and food security.
Emphasising that the proposal aligns fully with the Sindh government’s objectives of agricultural modernisation, rural employment, and export diversification, the SCA appealed to the chief minister and relevant authorities to approve the project, allocate suitable land, and sanction development funds.