Fruits and vegetable exporters have turned down a proposal of the Ministry of Food and Agricultural (Minfal) to fix grading of the green stuff meant for export.
The proposal, which also envisaged grading fee, was discussed at length at a meeting held at the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) on Tuesday.
Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters and Processors Association Chairman Mateen Siddiqui said on Wednesday that the grading was the requirement of the buyers and not of the ministry and the exporters to select the product in line with the specification of the importer.
He said that the proposal would not serve any purpose except undue interference of the ministry's officials in export business and to increase cost of exports.
The ministry official said at the meeting that the proposal would help in maintaining standard of fruit and vegetable exported from Pakistan.
Replying to the assertion, Mateeen Siddiqui, who is a leading exporter, pointed out that the Quarantine Department checked every consignment and issued certificate, verifying the standard of the green stuff. The department, he said, was under the Minfal and was doing the same job. Another regulatory system would only be a wasteful duplication, he added.
He said that the EPB Chairman fully supported the exporters' views on the subject, and opined that a proposal could not be implemented unless it was acceptable to the exporters.
The association chief said that the grading could be useful in case of cotton and leather but not in case of fruits and vegetable, which were graded by the exporters before shipment.