KARACHI: Pakistan has lost exports of 50,000 tons of kinnow so far due to lack of interest by the Ministry of Commerce to increase trade to foreign markets, said an exporter on Thursday.
In a statement, co-chairman of Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Importers, Exporters and Merchants Association Waheed Ahmed, added that the number is expected to reach to a total damage of 100,000 tons this year.
Pakistan had set the target of exporting 300,000 tons of kinnow this year, but ministry of commerce showed lack of interest and did not take measures to increase the trade, he said.
Export is likely to remain around the target of last year of 200,000 tons. Pakistan would lose the market of nearly 100,000 tons as no export was made to Indonesia, while only a few thousand tons were exported to Iran through land route, he said.
Following no implementation of Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia, export of around 45,000 tons of kinnow could not be made possible, he stated. Pakistan’s embassy in Indonesia says that delay to implement the agreement was made on the side of Pakistani authorities in Islamabad, he said.
Furthermore, due to the trade barriers put over Iran by the US and the United Nations, Pakistan could not export 100,000 tons to it and only 10,000 tons were exported to Iran thorough land route.
Ahmed said that barriers in trade with Indonesia and Iran would make the export of 300,000 tons target impossible for Pakistan. “No measures were taken to promote kinnow in the Chinese market either,” he said, adding that “this is a good year for production but a bad year for exports.” A total of 8,000 tons of kinnow worth $51 million have been exported so far against the target of exporting 150,000 tons by this period, Ahmed added.
