Exports of Kinnow falling in Pakistan

Exports of Kinnow falling in Pakistan

Monday, April 16, 2012: Though a major citrus producer, Pakistan is still lagging behind in modern techniques when it comes to enhancing the value of citrus exports.

Only 10% of total production is exported, due to which citrus producers face severe financial constraints as it entails selling the produce locally; at lower prices. Pakistan produces about two million tons of citrus annually,
90% of which is kinnow. The exports can hit 200,000 metric tons (MT) if modern techniques are adopted to add value according to international standards.

Producers, as well as the government, should switch to latest technologies to mitigate post harvest losses, and enhance exports to help this industry grow properly.

The year witnessed a generally good crop: production of kinnows went up to 2.4 million tons and the export target was fixed at 300,000 tons; but the loss of Iran’s lucrative market and delays in consignments due to stringent commodity
checks by customs authorities were major problems from the exporters’ view point.

 In the past Iran has been a large buyer of Pakistani kinnows. It used to import around 60-70,000 MT of the fruit, and exports to the country had been targeted at 100,000 MT for this year.

Due to sanctions from the US, Iran’s currency has been devaluated and it has practically stopped importing fruits and vegetables. What little quantity is being exported now is fetching very little in terms of foreign exchange for
domestic producers.

Furthermore, Sri Lanka imposed a special commodity levy on imports of fruit and vegetables which annoyed local exporters at a time when the citrus export season was underway.

The country needs to pay head to a very important sector which has the potential of fetching precious foreign exchange. Without the introduction of modern agricultural practices in safeguarding and nurturing good quality produce,
the viable markets for kinnows may be lost for Pakistani growers.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=19203

Posted by Wajahat Javed on Apr 17 2012. Filed under Business, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry