PESHAWAR: The business community has urged the federal and provincial governments to establish a modern honey testing laboratory in Peshawar, along with an industrial unit for processing and packaging, to facilitate exporters.

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Fazal Mugeem Khan made the demand while addressing a seminar at the chamber on Saturday. He emphasised the need to assist exporters in obtaining certification for honey exports to the European Union, the United Kingdom, and North America. He also called for simplifying the registration process, making it more convenient and reducing registration fees.

According to a statement, the seminar was organised in collaboration with the SCCI and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to address challenges hindering honey exports and to promote the development of the honey industry.

The seminar was attended by SCCI`s senior vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, vice president Shahryar Khan, executive committee members, officials from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and the TDAP, as well as other stakeholders from the honey industry.

According to the statement, FazalMugeem Khan stated that his chamber had included hand-woven carpets, honey, furniture, precious stones, jewellery, and industrial minerals in its development programme for this year.

He added that full efforts were being made to develop these sectors and address the challenges faced by the businessmen associated with them. The seminar on the honey sector, he noted, was the first step in these efforts.

It said that the TDAP officials agreed with the SCCI`s recommendations and assured that full cooperation would be extended to exporters and shopkeepers to promote honey export. The seminar was addressed by Mohammad Khalid Rafique of Honey Bee Research Institute Islamabad, Rashid Aman, Provincial Chief of Smeda and others.

TDAP Director General Mohammad Athar Khokhar and commercial counsellor of Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, addressed the seminar online.

Recommendations from the seminar would soon be submitted to the government of Pakistan. Additionally, honey exporters were briefed on the registration process for the Pakistan Trade Portal, the statement concluded.