Based in Panjgur, Balochistan, Baloch Hamza Brothers (BHB) is a date processing company which supplies dates to regional urban centres across Pakistan. It collects, processes, packs and sells dates of different varieties and date products.
Market Constraints
Due to the region’s remoteness, date farmers in Balochistan are disconnected from relevant information on production practices, quality inputs and access to premium domestic and international markets. As such, dates grown in Panjgur are sold to traders who transport them to other regional hubs. They are then processed and sold back into domestic and international markets. The long supply chain between consumers and date farmers decreases their chances of earning fair prices.
Additionally, after they are harvested, farmers pile dates on top of one another, causing those at the bottom to be crushed. This reduces their quality, resulting in post-harvest losses and less produce for markets, leading again to lower incomes for farmers.
Intervention
MDF supported BHB to enhance farmers’ access to markets and provide better access to inputs. By setting up processing machinery, BHB was able to increase its processing capacity and cater to growing demand. It is now able to process and pack dates of different varieties, and supplies to local markets and retailers across Balochistan.
Additionally, MDF provided BHB with plastic crates for storage. Farmers now get better prices for higher quality produce and have more dates to sell, increasing their incomes.
MDF and BHB also worked together to establish a women-only date processing facility, where women can come and work on date cleaning, processing and packing in a conducive environment. Female workers were trained by a supervisor on how to pit and clean dates.
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