Shamoon Sadiq, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), has stressed the need for evolving a system where growers and exporters could join hands for quality production in conformity with international standards.
In a press statement issued here on Tuesday, Sadiq said that export of fruits and vegetables was becoming more difficult, as the importing countries were asking for food quality and safety.
About compliance of these standards by Chile, he said its agriculture exports had increased from $29 million in 1983 to $3.1 billion in 2001 whereas developing countries had witnessed 50 percent decrease in export of fruit and vegetables to Europe in the last decade.
Egypt had seen decline in export of potato from $102 million in 1997 to $7 million in 2000 because of lacking capacity to follow the SPS standards.
Similarly, he said Pakistan was facing difficulties in export of fruit and vegetables, which has decreased because of non-compliance of SPS.
Whereas in some cases such as export of citrus and mango has increased due to compliance with standards as laid down by the International Certification Agencies, he added.