Govt urged to check dwindling citrus exports
KARACHI: Pakistan set a moderate kinno export target of 250,000 tonnes for the current fiscal year, a significant fall of 50,000 tonnes over last year.
According to Patron-in-Chief, All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA), Waheed Ahmed, the production and quality of the fruit are being affected to an alarming extent due to climatic effects.
During the last five years, the citrus exports halved to 250,000 tonnes due to smog and fog.
Kinno season is also delayed due to prolonged heat and late arrival of cold weather while, on the other hand, production is expected to be less by 35pc than last year.
The country’s kinno variety is 60 years old, which means it cannot resist diseases and weather effects, whereas no variety lasts more than 25 years.
For the past 10 years, the PFVA has been urging the federal and provincial governments to promote Research and Development and plant new varieties in other areas, but no attention has been paid so far to this aspect, which has led to a sharp decline in citrus export, he said.
The harvesting was delayed by 15 days due to hot and prolonged heat affecting the sweetness, moisture and quality of kinno, which will ultimately hit export and the local market. The price will also be higher by 10pc compared to the last season.
Mr Waheed said that if three to four new varieties are not developed, then the export of kinno will be stopped in the next three years because half of 250 kinno processing factories have already been closed due to heavy financial losses while employment of 300,000 people and the investment of Rs300bn in this industry is also at stake.
Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2024