Fruits & vegetables: PFVA starts collecting market intelligence to enhance exports to Africa

All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) has started collecting marketing intelligence to enhance export of fruits & vegetables to the African countries by better understanding demands of this specific market and quarantine requirements, "We can get an adequate share from the African market of US$ 3.7 billion," said Patron-in-Chief PFVA , Waheed Ahmed.

The Pakistan Africa Conference has played a vital role and brightens opportunity of export enhancement of fruits, vegetables and other products to the African market, said Waheed Ahmed.

To translate outcome of this conference fruitful, the PFVA has now initiated planning work.

During phase I, the PFVA would collect statistical data of trade related information, products of competitors, and details of duty structure of the African markets from the commercial attaches of Pakistani foreign mission located in the Africa, TDAP,and other national organizations.

In the subsequent phase the data collected would be utilized with the help of Pakistani foreign missions to strengthen trade ties and exchange of trade delegations.

Africa is the second largest emerging market after Asia. The total import volume of African market is US$ 576 billion and of this, Pakistan has even less than 0.2% share while export from Pakistan to Africa is around US$ 1.4 billion. India, contrary to Pakistan has not only captured this market through trade and investment but also has pronounced cultural influence over there. The current trade volume of India with Africa is around US$ 50 billion and by year 2020-21 it has been planned to attain export target of US$ 117 billion.

According to Waheed Ahmed, the export industries and previous governments did not make any sincere efforts to tap gigantic trade potential of this huge market and focused their attention to US, European and other traditional international markets where an increasing stiff competition is making it very difficult to retain these markets.

The Pakistan Africa conference has given a new dimension to the foreign trade of Pakistan and the participants from various African countries in this conference recently held in Nairobi have expressed immense interest to enhance trade and investment with Pakistan.

The bright aspect of conference is that demand of Pakistani fruits, vegetables and value-added products of fruits has surfaced with encouraging response.

The African countries import fruits and vegetables worth of US$ 3.7 billion annually. Currently Pakistan is exporting fruits and vegetables of US$ 4 million to the African countries which can be enhanced to US$ 25 million. Similarly export of US$ 1.4 billion to African countries by Pakistan can be also be enhanced to US$ 3 billion within a period of 3 years.

Waheed Ahmed has highly appreciated the commendable efforts by Adviser to the Prime Minster, Abdul Razzaq Dawood on organizing this mega event leading to a brilliant success and hoped that such conferences would be held regularly annually and various regions of Africa would also be focused like East Asian countries. To tap promising trade potential of this market, Waheed suggested that people to people contact is imminent and for that air link and banking channel are required to be further strengthened.

Pakistan can promote people -to- people contact by effective utilization of Pakistani culture, music and dubbing of films and dramas in African languages.

Simultaneously, it can also extend cooperation in education, health, tourism, transport, IT and software, financial services and other service-oriented sectors to strengthen economic ties with the African countries.