Daily Times

KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Standing Committee on Horticulture Exports has pinned high hopes that this year Iran would formally allow the import of kinnow and potatoes from Pakistan.

“We are very optimistic, Iranian Agriculture Ministry was allowing the import of kinnows and potatoes formally from Pakistan in the upcoming season, which would start from December 1,” FPCCI Standing Committee Chairman Ahmad Jawad, said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said that the Iranian Embassy should also intervene so that official trade could start, adding that the committee had detailed talks with the Iranian embassy’s authorities regarding the said matter.

Pakistan would start exporting kinnow in the first week of December, while exporters expected the fruit to fetch more than $220 million.

This year kinnow was of high quality and the crop was expected to get matured by the last week of November, he said. During the last season, the country had exported 340,000 tonnes of kinnow, earning around $200 million.

Similarly, formal export of potatoes from Pakistan to Iran would also start this year, he said. The export of kinnow and potatoes from Pakistan would benefit both the countries, he added.

While talking about the new markets, he said, Indonesia had given a quota for February and March, whereas, negotiations were underway for December and January as well.

The country’s total exports to Indonesia were around $171million and imports stand at $2 billion. There was no quota limits in Pakistan for Indonesian products, however, our products faced several restrictions there, he added.

The Ministry of Commerce should pursue the issue with their Indonesian counterparts so that the 1,600 containers market could be properly tapped, he urged.

Moreover, Iran was likely to give a quota this year and Pakistan would be able to export 50,000 tonnes of kinnow to Iran, he said.

The country by introducing other varieties of kinnow in the international market could generate billions of dollars every year. The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) had already introduced two new varieties of citrus, which are needed to be planted at production hubs on priority, he added.

The FPCCI Standing Committee Chairman on Horticulture Exports stressed

that the government should activate the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) so that necessary collaboration could happen between the PARC and Punjab government.