As compared to last year, exports of kinnow are likely to fetch $100 million this year, thereby exceeding last year's exports by 30 percent to 40 percent, a spokesman for the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) told Business Recorder on telephone from Lahore on Saturday.
One of the brighter sides of kinnow export is that Russia is enthusiastically engaged in importing Pakistani kinnow this season following the lifting of ban which it had imposed in 2006-end.
Having satisfied with strict quarantine measures conforming to Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary requirements taken by the authorities, Russians had by January 31, 2008 imported about 14,000 tonnes of kinnow worth $10 million in 544 containers.
The PHDEB spokesman said by the end of kinnow export season ie April-end, Russia is likely to import kinnow worth between $20 million and $25 million. Last season, only 55,000 tonnes of kinnow were exported to Russia.
Pakistan has since the start of the season exported over 70,000 tonnes of kinnow to different countries. Last year, it had exported 122,000 tonnes, but this year the export figures may hit over 200,000 tonnes fetching around $100 million, he said.
It may be recalled that Russia had announced lifting of ban on the import of kinnow and hinted at re-opening its market for mango export as well following negotiations with officials in December last year. The ban had adversely affected the overall performance of the country's agricultural exports and its future prospects.
Russia had banned import of Pakistani agri products after its Phyto-Sanitary watchdog had found an insect, Khapra Beetle in a rice shipment sent from Pakistan. Following the lifting of ban, Moscow had issued a notification directing customs authorities to immediately facilitate unhindered access of Pakistani citrus fruits to its market.
Now the seven Central Asian states, once part of then USSR, would also re-open their markets to Pakistani agri products, Pakistani officials hope. These countries followed the Russian food and health safety standards and did not allow import of products, which had been banned by Russia.
The PHDEB has also launched a "pre-shipment inspection" scheme to export citrus fruits this year for all destinations except for Middle East and Iran. The matter had also been finalised with the customs authorities and other related agencies. Co-ordination among different departments would help inspect the shipment at one place instead of at different stages of the export process.
With globalisation and loosening up of territorial boundaries under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), every country is trying to increase its export share in the world market. This situation not only leads to intense competition, but also to strict compliance to quality and safety standards. The compliance is vital in case of food products, particularly of horticulture.
Foreign importers demand compliance to safety standards and quality assurance steps at the cultivation, processing and packaging stages before export. This necessitates enforcement of minimum grades and quality standards.
Taking cognisance of this international sensitivity, the government, in consultation with the stakeholders, including growers, processors and exporters, has revised national grades and quality standards and decided to enforce them through third party pre-shipment inspection process.