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We're excited to share our feature on Tomato News: Pakistan's Industrial Tomato Sector, based on an in-depth interview with our Head of Sales, Khurram Irshad.

• Pakistan produces 760–800K tonnes of tomatoes annually, yet national demand is ~1.5 million tonnes — a structural gap driving heavy import reliance.

• 85% of paste used in Pakistan's condiment industry is sourced from China, costing $8–12M per year in unnecessary foreign exchange outflows.

• Post-harvest losses of 30–35% compound the crisis — tomatoes spoil before they ever reach a factory, due to fragmented cold-chain infrastructure.

• Simta Foods is investing in a state-of-the-art 15 TPH processing plant in Vehari, contract farming programs, and seed partnerships to localize the value chain.

"The country is moving away from heavy reliance on imported paste toward localizing the value chain."

— Khurram Irshad, Head of Sales

Pakistan has the land and the climate to grow far more processing tomatoes — but the value chain needs major structural upgrades across four critical areas.

• Variety mismatch: Farmers grow fresh-market tomatoes, not the high-Brix hybrid varieties required for industrial paste. Simta Foods, alongside Verdora Ventures, is piloting variety trials with Syngenta to close this gap.

• Mandi dependence: Traditional marketplace systems create price volatility and quality inconsistency. Contract farming and direct farm-to-factory models are the proven alternative.

• Cold-chain gaps: Without refrigeration, tomatoes deteriorate within 4–5 days. Strategic cold storage hubs in Multan, Sindh, and Balochistan could reduce losses to under 10%.

• Financial barriers: Farmers lack capital for hybrid seeds, drip irrigation, and equipment. Crop financing, equipment leasing, and public-private partnerships are essential enablers.

At Simta Foods, we're not just talking about change — we're making it happen. Here's how we're building Pakistan's first true seed-to-paste tomato supply chain.

• End-to-end vertical integration: From seed selection and variety trials to contract farming, cold-chain logistics, and 15 TPH industrial-scale paste production — all under one system.

• Contract farming over open markets: We've moved away from mandi dependence. Direct farmer relationships ensure consistent quality, Brix levels, and delivery timing.

• High-Brix hybrid varieties: Generic crops are replaced with processing-specific varieties, trialled in partnership with leading seed companies, to maximise paste yield and colour.

• Full traceability: Every batch is traceable from farm to factory. This is what global food companies now demand — and it's becoming our strongest commercial differentiator.

"Your real sales advantage is created months before production even begins — in the decisions you make about seeds and farming."

— Khurram Irshad, Head of Sales