Client Name

Maersk Pakistan

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Hilal Anwar Butt

SBS Thought Leadership Areas

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

SBS Thought Leadership Area Justification

Under Entrepreneurship and Innovation, we worked with Maersk to design a new export model that helps reduce vegetable shipment rejections at UK ports. We proposed testing vegetables like okra and chillies at an international lab in Rotterdam before they are shipped. This idea had never been tried before for vegetables from Pakistan and offered a practical solution to a major export problem. For Investment Decision Making, we built a financial model to check if the project made business sense. It showed costs, profits, and how long it would take to recover the investment. For example, one scenario gave a 14% return and a 5.8-year payback. This helped Maersk decide how and where to invest in the project.

Aligned SDGs

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Aligned SDGs Justification

Our project with Maersk aimed to improve Pakistan's vegetable exports to the UK by reducing rejections and improving quality. This directly supports Zero Hunger by reducing food waste and promoting access to safe, healthy food. We also addressed Decent Work and Economic Growth by creating new income opportunities for farmers, lab workers, and exporters. Better farming practices and fewer export losses mean more earnings and jobs in rural areas. Under Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, we introduced an innovative export model using third-party testing in Rotterdam. This modern approach improves Pakistan's export systems and encourages investment in cold chains, digital traceability, and lab testing. Finally, we brought together multiple players-Maersk, Control Union, Concave Agri, and government bodies-which supports Partnerships to achieve the Goal. Working together helped us design a practical, scalable model with long-term impact.

NDA

No

Abstract

This Experiential Learning Project (ELP), conducted in collaboration with Maersk Pakistan, aims to improve Pakistan’s export performance for four high-risk vegetables—okra, red chilli, green chilli, and bitter gourd—by addressing frequent UK port rejections caused by regulatory non-compliance. The project focuses on designing a pre-export quality control model that meets DEFRA (UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) standards, with testing conducted at third-party ISO 17025-certified labs in Rotterdam or Vietnam.

Key deliverables include:

(i) Detailed feasibility studies for each of the selected vegetables (okra, red chilli, green chilli, and bitter gourd)
(ii) A proposal formally drafted for DEFRA’s approval to initiate a pilot program
(iii) A financial model assessing the long-term viability of establishing an on-site accredited testing facility in Pakistan
(iv) A final presentation summarizing the entire project

Our research approach combined secondary data analysis, stakeholder interviews, and regulatory review to design a pilot model for third-party off-site testing in Rotterdam or Vietnam. The financial model explored multiple CAPEX scenarios (greenfield and brownfield), breakeven points, and scalability projections. The findings show that the off-site testing model is both feasible and impactful, significantly reducing export rejection rates and supporting long-term agri-trade growth.

The project’s implications extend to food safety, supply chain compliance, and strategic investment in Pakistan’s agricultural export sector. Key contributors include Concave Agri (agri-tech and farmer digitization), Control Union(lab testing infrastructure), and the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan. The resulting proposal is both commercially viable and strategically transformative, positioning Pakistan to build long-term agri-trade credibility with the UK and beyond.

Document Type

Restricted Access

Document Name for Citation

Experiential Learning Project

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