Bangladesh has emerged as main market for the export of high quality grapes produced in Balochistan. The grapes export, which started a couple of years ago, is expected to be double this year, said fruit exporters.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has fixed minimum export price of the fruit at Rs 25 per kilogram for all varieties for the grapes of which export season stars from the middle of this month.
The price will remain valid for a fortnight.
The demand of quality grapes, produced in Qila Saifullah and Gulistan areas of Balochistan, is increasing in the world market and Bangladesh market has the capacity to absorb the entire export surplus from Pakistan at a reasonable price, said Shamim Ahmed, a leading fruit and vegetable exporter here on Friday.
He said that having sensed the bright prospects of exports with good monetary yield, the farmers had increased the cultivated area for fruits.
The exporters are facing logistics problems to export grapes due to lack of direct shipping service to Bangladesh. The fruit shipments are presently sent via Colombo, which takes 10 to 12 days at exorbitant freight cost.
Trade between the two countries has increased a lot during the last few years and several commodities like cement, sugar, engineering goods and fruits and vegetable have great scope for export to Bangladesh.
The exporters have been demanding of the national carrier Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) to start a direct shipping service to develop a fast sea link between the two countries.
This would not only ensure fast delivery of goods, but would also save freight cost considerably, making Pakistani products competitive in the Bangladeshi market, which is located in close geographical proximity to India.