• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Iran-Israel Tensions
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Pakistan has potential to earns huge foreign exchange by citrus export

Pakistani kinnow industry witnessed a breakthrough last week as Iran lifted restrictions on the import of Pakistani kinnow, Gwadar Pro reported on Monday.

Pakistan is one of the top citrus producers in the world. Citrus contributes about 30% to the country’s total fruit output. Last year, Pakistan earned its highest export revenue from kinnow of $222 million amounting to 370,000 tonnes, according to a report on Pakistani citrus industry released by the China-Pakistan Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation Information Platform (CPAIC).

The report also points out that most of the citrus fruits produced by Pakistan are consumed in foreign markets. Among the exported varieties, kinnow is the most important one. However, as old varieties are wearing out, kinnow quality is worsening.

For years, there has been no major breakthrough in kinnow varieties. Among the export kinnow, only 2.6% goes to developed countries, mostly because consumers in these markets favor seedless citrus. Such a trend is gradually expanding to other parts of the world. Currently, seedless varieties represent 61% of total citrus export worldwide, which leads to a sharp decline in the price of Pakistani kinnow by more than 50% from 2016 to 2020.

There is a research institute in Sargodha dedicated to the development of new citrus varieties, but it has not published any substantive results in the past five years. The situation is similar for the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. If these research institutes can be stimulated to produce new seedless kinnow varieties, they could have brought huge wealth for Pakistan.

In addition, even with new varieties, citrus growers in Pakistan are not qualified to grow the new varieties-they have neither the professional knowledge nor the suitable equipment. Also, they are not willing to engage in export themselves for lack of financing channels, infrastructure (transportation, grading, cold storage and warehousing facilities), technical guidance, international market information, and time to wait for the issuance of various permits.

Therefore, the CPAIC report recommends growers be trained and informed of such basic knowledge as sowing time, planting methods, fertilizer ratio, harvesting methods, etc. The government should also provide credit to them so that they have the finances to purchase equipment necessary for the variety shift, such as automatic irrigation systems and sprinklers. Formal packaging, grading and transportation systems are also required by dedicated exporters.

The cheapest packaging materials used by exporters not only causes catastrophic losses to the fruit in transit, but also brings about a tarnished reputation in the international market. None of the international airports in Pakistan are equipped with storage facilities for fresh agricultural products; only one port has such facilities but its capacity is seriously insufficient.

Fortunately, the education level of citrus growers in Pakistan is gradually improving. With appropriate training and information access channels, growers may improve the quality of fruit through crop management and other methods, and provide value addition through processing; this will help develop and expand the citrus industry in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the country will establish better domestic and international supply chains for the citrus industry leveraging the newly developed infrastructure and transportation systems, thereby improving efficiency and reducing overall waste. By expanding the cultivation of seedless citrus varieties, formulating quality management regulations, optimizing the supply chains, establishing certification initiatives, and reducing post-harvest losses, citrus export in Pakistan can be significantly boosted.

Pakistani citrus is expected to be exported to European countries, China and Central Asian markets with higher value addition beyond the existing markets in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

 

Economic growth

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani met with a delegation of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and discussed a variety of issues concerning to economic growth of Pakistan.

The delegation led by President FPCCI, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo comprised of office bearers and senior representatives of business, industry, and trade community of Pakistan also attended the Iftar-cum-Dinner hosted by the chairman Senate at his residence, said a press release issued here on Monday.

Sadiq Sanjrani and FPCCI’s delegation discussed the issues concerning the business environment of the country and economic growth of Pakistan at length.

The delegation briefed the Chairman Senate on their concerns and inputs on macroeconomic, industrial, financial, energy, taxation/tariffs, ease of doing business, and trade policies of Pakistan. Chairman Senate assured the delegation of his full support and promised to take up the issues at the highest forums.

Sadiq Sanjrani presented president FPCCI with the Crest of the Senate of Pakistan and Mian Maggo presented him with the Crest of FPCCI.

Filed Under: Business

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Far-right bloc to lead EU’s climate target talks, raising concerns

IHC gets new chief justice as Sarfraz Dogar takes oath

Court approves 10-day remand of Dr Mahrang Baloch and BYC activists

CM Maryam turns vision into reality with record-breaking projects

Israel says Gaza ceasefire possible, but deal may take more time

Pakistan

IHC gets new chief justice as Sarfraz Dogar takes oath

Court approves 10-day remand of Dr Mahrang Baloch and BYC activists

CM Maryam turns vision into reality with record-breaking projects

Imran, Bushra seek swift hearing on jail sentences in £190M Qadir case

Sheikha Asma’s epic climb earns her Pakistan’s highest tourism honor

More Posts from this Category

Business

Experts say Pakistan’s EV growth needs time and strong policies

Pakistan to import half a million tons of sugar amid price surge

PSPC-NPSC merger finalized: A new era in secure printing begins

SBP not to repeat past mistakes of accelerating demand, economic growth

Pakistan looks beyond traditional markets as TDAP approves export expansion plan

More Posts from this Category

World

Far-right bloc to lead EU’s climate target talks, raising concerns

Israel says Gaza ceasefire possible, but deal may take more time

Deadly protests rock Kenya as tensions rise over police brutality

More Posts from this Category




punjab

Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy