One of Pakistan's major horticultural products being citrus fruit, especially kinno, it has claimed a significant share in the international market, its list of importers including such diverse geographical locations as Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Iran, Sri Lanka Singapore, the Philippines and Mauritania. Our citrus can do even better but for poor crop management practices.
That comes out clearly from a press report which, quoting sources in the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal), points out that the sector has difficulty maintaining its current level of exports due to lack of proper plant protection measures and harvesting techniques.
According to experts, a common problem is inadequate fertiliser application and pest control, which of course are essential measures to provide fruit trees both nourishment - especially in a season preceded by a heavy crop year - and protection against pests and disease. Also, the quality of the produce is adversely affected by the retention of fruit on trees beyond maturity, which causes excessive depletion of carbohydrates and minerals.
The Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) is in place precisely to address such problems, as per its own mission statement, through timely interventions aimed at improving quality in key areas of the horticulture value chain. Its slogan being "grow for exports", the board's chief responsibility is to encourage and facilitate growers through the introduction of new technologies and techniques - a responsibility it has not been able to perform effectively so far. Nonetheless, it would be unfair to lay the entire blame on the board, considering that it works as an adjunct of Minfal and hence has limited powers to act for the promotion of its stated objectives.
The government would do well to grant the board autonomous status. In fact, one of the four subcommittees of the task force the Finance Ministry set up to undertake a comprehensive study of the horticulture sector, recently presented a set of recommendations, which included making PHDEB an independent body under Section 42 of the Companies Act. The committees also suggested restructuring of the National Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as an autonomous agency empowered to enforce the law. Implementation of these recommendations can take care of a lot that is wrong with the prevalent practices in the sector.
Another issue needing attention is that of individual farmer's paucity of resources. Surely, it does not take an expert to know that plants and trees need fertilisers to stay strong and healthy. And pests have a habit to destroy fruit. But the remedies are costly, and oftentimes out of reach for small, even some middle level farmers.
One of the sub-committees' had a worthwhile advice to offer as it emphasised the importance of the private sector, including commercial banks, as key players in the horticulture sector's development. Hopefully, the task force, which is headed by the Prime Minster's Adviser on Finance and Economic Affairs Dr Salman Shah, will act promptly to address the various difficulties confronting the sector in the light of its sub-committees' recommendations.