Chairman Standing Committee of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) on horticulture exports, Ahmad Jawad said that, like every year, India is interested in importing Pakistani kinnow this year as well, due to its exotic taste and rich quality.
In a statement issued here on Sunday, Ahmad Jawad said buyers from Delhi and Indian Punjab have started negotiations to import kinnow for Indian consumers. He said there is a huge consumption of oranges in India, but India cannot manage to produce enough for domestic consumers, and therefore has to look to her neighbours to meet the demands.
He said every year Pakistani kinnow were exported to Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir on good rates, but this year the exporters had to look, among other things, at the factor of aggression of the Indian forces and their continuous violations of Line of Control (LoC).
The chairman FPCCI standing committee also said that the demand for Pakistani kinnows has dropped in overseas markets to some extent as Turkey and Egypt have started producing seedless kinnows.
“The demand for seedless kinnows remains high, especially in the West, but unfortunately Pakistan does not produce such varieties at the moment,” said Jawad.
He urged Pakistani farmers to start the production of seedless kinnow, so that exporters are able to penetrate European Union markets and are in a position to introduce new varieties, which will fetch good prices in the existing markets.
Ahmad Jawad said the worth of citrus varieties and value-added products in the international market stood at about $15 billion. By introducing other varieties, Pakistan could generate over $1 billion through exports every year, he added.
He said that the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has already introduced two new varieties. Therefore, they should be planted in the production hubs of the country on a priority basis, he suggested.
In this regard, the government may activate the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) so that necessary collaboration may take place with Parc and the Punjab government, he added.
The export season for Pakistani kinnows is about to commence. There is lower production, but due to improved weather conditions, the quality is better than last year.
The export season will start on December 01, this allows for more exports, particularly to the Russian market.
Usually, the season lasts until April, but it is too early to predict now. There are several factors that influence the length of the season including weather conditions and the demand in neighboring countries such as China, Afghanistan and Central Asian states, especially on their local holidays like Chinese New Year and the Persian New Year.
Jawad further said production of kinnows in Pakistan this season is estimated to be around 1.4 million tons and export will be more than 300,000 tons due to Indonesian authorities allowing import of Pakistani kinnow from the month of December; in the years past they issued such permissions from February onwards.
