Citrus exports: PAD predicts record foreign exchange earnings of $200 million

The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has predicted that it could achieve record foreign exchange earnings of $200 million by exporting 300,000 tonnes of citrus exports this year, revealed a department spokesman on Tuesday. "The production and export of mangoes and citrus in Punjab is praised worthy. We will be exporting 1.5 million metric tonnes of mangoes world-wide this year.
Because of the special interest and timely intervention of the agriculture minister, we have been able to control fruit fly and our exports have increased notably. When Europe and Russia banned the Indian mango and citrus because of fruit fly last year, it was a threat for Pakistani products as well," said the spokesman. The spokesman also said the Agriculture minister himself had visited Punjab's districts and made working groups to counter fruit fly and that a special project to control fruit fly started at a cost of Rs 227.61 million.
"Farmers and growers in the Punjab will be given chemicals and medicine to control fruit fly on 50 percent subsidy during this four years project," he added. Up to 50,000 acres of land is expected to be covered to provide subsidised medicine, with up to 198 exhibitory plots of 10 acres beginning in the Punjab's 15 districts to train the farmers. Up to 12,960 training sessions for the farmers will be arranged to guide them about the controlling techniques of fruit fly.