ISLAMABAD: Chairman Standing Committee of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) on horticulture exports, Ahmad Jawad has said that that India this year again interested to import Pakistani kinnow due to its exotic taste and rich in quality.
In a statement here on Sunday, Ahmad Jawad said that buyers from Delhi and Indian Punjab have started negotiation to import kinnow for Indian consumers. He said there is a huge consumption of oranges in India but yet India didn’t produced ample production for their consumers therefore they have a compulsion to look into their neighbors to meet the demands.
He said every year Pakistani kinnow exported to Delhi and Jamu and Kashmir on a good rates, but this year we have to look the factor of aggression of the Indian forces and their continuously violation 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,” said Jawad.
He urged Pakistani farmers start production of seedless kinnow, so that exporters could be able to penetrate European Union markets and we 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.
The chairman FPCCI standing committee on horticulture exports said that as the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has already introduced two new varieties. Therefore, they should be planted in the production hubs 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 condition 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 told production of kinnows in Pakistan this season is estimated to be around 1.4 million tons and export will fetch more than 300,000 tons due to Indonesian authorities allowed to import Pakistani kinnow from the month of December, before they allowed from February onwards.