I am a kino grower from Sargodha. Through this letter I want to highlight the plight of poor kino growers. Pakistani kino is a much liked fruit in the both local and foreign markets. Kino exports bring huge foreign exchange to the country every year, but unfortunately actual kino growers do not benefit from these earnings. Kino processors and exporters are fleecing the poor farmers in a cruel manner. A few big exporters have monopolised the whole market. They purchase kino from farmers at a price much below market value of the fruit. The government has virtually left the farmers at the mercy of the rapacious exporters. It is demanded that the government should introduce some sort of regulatory and supervisory mechanism in kino export regime. The government, in consultation with representatives of both farmers and exporters, should fix every year minimum kino purchase price from farmers to save them from exploitation.
The other issue, an even more important one, is that citrus diseases like Melanose and Scab are badly damaging the quality of our kino. Being a kino grower, I have firsthand knowledge that these diseases affect large swathes of kino orchards every year. This year alone Melanose destroyed fruit of hundreds of millions rupees and many poor farmers suffered huge losses. The government has done virtually nothing on the ground in this regard. Citrus Research Centre in Sargodha is underfunded and lacks in offering solutions and access to farmers. In this situation, kino growers are in a state of gloom. It is demanded that the government should increase funding for research on citrus and its diseases.
UMAIR ABBAS RANJHA
Sargodha