KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Standing Committee said India this year again interested to import Pakistani kinnow due to its exotic taste and rich in quality.
FPCCI Standing Committee on Horticulture Exports head Ahmad Jawad buyers from Delhi and Indian Punjab have started negotiation to import kinnow for indian consumers. He said that 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 Jammu 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)”.
(FPCCI) committee chairman also said that the demand for Pakistani kinnows (oranges) 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 Ahmad Jawad, FPCCI head.
Pakistani farmers must start seedless kinnow production, 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,” a press release quoted Jawad as saying.
He said that 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.
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.
He 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.
