Pakistan has officially kicked off its Kinnow export season on the first of this month. The government has set an export target of 400,000 tonnes this year, which is 100,000 tonnes higher than the export target for the previous season. However, growers and exporters warn this year’s Kinnow production is sub-par and that there is every chance that the target will be missed, by a long shot.
Overall, Kinnow is a prized fruit crop of the country and holds number one position among all fruits both in terms of the area under cultivation and production. Government of Punjab estimates that kinnow is cultivated on 200,000 hectares country-wide and 194,500 hectors in Punjab alone.
According to market sources, the country exported 315,000 tons in export season of 2013-14. These international sales earned $170 million and in the last season the country fetched $200 million from the export of 350,000 tonnes of kinnow which surpassed that year’s target. The boost came last year when Russia banned fruit from the European Union and Pakistan was able to send 100,000 tonnes of kinnow to Russia.
This year, exports of the fruit are likely to fall by 30-35 percent contends, Fawad Zafar, a major exporter of the fruits. He explains that late onset of winter deprived this year’s harvest of the ideal temperature and hence the ripening colour of the fruit was delayed. At this time of the year, the colouring should be at 80 percent mark however it stands at 60-65 percent at the moment. It is important to note that colouring of the fruit is associated with its sweetness.
Pakistani producers are also facing low yield per tree this year. The low yield phenomenon has aggravated in the current season however it has remained a persistent problem. Hamid Saleem Waaraich, President Kinnow Growers Association, informs that the harvest is threatened by pests, diseases, and citrus canker.
Unfortunately, the low yield this season might keep Pakistan away from the opportunity to fill the gap created by the Russian ban on the import of Turkish oranges after the recent events in the Middle East.
On the other hand, the market is rife with speculation that Indonesia has banned the import of Pakistani kinnow. However, the representative trade body firmly denies these reports, yet the rampant confusion may deter some prospective exporters from closing deals there.
Lack of shipping capacity to reach markets in the Far East and weak purchasing power in Russia on the back of a sliding rouble are also concerns that may stagnate this year’s exports of kinnow.
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