Following the lifting of ban by Russia last week, Pakistan will start exporting kinnow in a day or two, officials of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) told Business Recorder on Tuesday.

This would enable Pakistan achieve a record kinnow export target of 0.225 million tons this season. Last season, only 55,000 tons kinnow were exported to Russia as a ban was imposed when thrips and mite viruses were found in the fruit by the authorities in Russia. Officials said that the first container was almost ready to leave Bhalwal by Wednesday or Thursday. Bhalwal, in Sargodha district, is basically a kinnow growing area producing 82 percent of total fruit produced in the country.

PHDEB has taken good care to follow the strict quarantine requirements to meet the standards set by Russia. A Russian team of experts, along with officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal), PHDEB and Quarantine Department, is stationed at Bhalwal to ensure that virus-free kinnow are loaded in the containers. Once the container is loaded it would be sealed by both Russian and PHDEB officials.

The Russian team is likely to stay in Bhalwal for about a month to make sure that quarantine restrictions are followed in letter and in spirit. Pakistan, officials said, is likely to earn a record income from kinnow export, which formally started from October 27.

Kinnow shipments have also started going to Sri Lanka, Manila, Dubai and Almaty.Far East and Central Asian Republic markets

Pakistani kinnow, which has a remarkable appearance and taste, is already facing blemishes problem and the reputation damage would be awaiting if viruses go unnoticed, they warned. About the recently applied EurepGAP standard by some kinnow orchards, they said that the European quarantine standard covered 10,000 acres area, which is a small portion of the production area.

The PHDEB is in the process of putting up mechanism for pre-shipment inspection (PSI) to ensure that only quality kinnow, I standardised weight, gets to the foreign markets, which mainly are Russian Federation, Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

PHDEB is trying to develop PakGAP standards to prepare the horticulture sector for GlobalGAP (former EurepGAP) GlobalGAP is a single integrated standard with modular applications for different product groups, ranging from plant and livestock production to plant propagation materials and compound feed manufacturing.

www.brecorder.com

Good news, some more export for the country.

This is what I get worried about. Are we importing just as much food as we are exporting?? If not, do we have enough to export and feed our local population? These are serious things Pakistani government should consider. We should MAKE THINGS as electronics, cars, sporting goods, and stuff like that. If our precious commodies as food and steel are managed to counter the LOCAL SUPPLY AND DEMAND, we will haver serious problems feeding our own people, who are begging in numbers at the streets of Karachi and Lahore, and other major cities.

And if we do export, there should be a QUOTA in place via SUPPLY AND DEMAND. No wonder we have a 75% of our population is hungry!! We're feeding the bellies of foreigners and giving less to our own!!! Especially Russia!!!! We must also have just as much Kannus IMPORTED if demand calls for it.

We have enough agricultural products produced the feed the whole country, we are in surplus. But we can't jump to high technology exports, it takes time to build it.

Sorry; Agriculture is a important step in development. Most people live in countryside so they all cannot be provided with industrial jobs. The money raised by agri exports will be used to build up countries reserves, plus modern agriculture will have alot of indirect benefits. High prices are due to hoarding and illegal exports to Afghanistan. So it is a social as well as government problem.

Strange that you say that, and yet there is still mass begging going on in the streets of the major cities. Perhaps, that is not just because of the pathetic banking monetary system we copied off the British, but also BECAUSE of lack of food and infrastructure to facilitate these problems, especially from the side of the government?

And just so that you may know friend, Pakistan already exports sporting goods, surgical instruments, and mechanical instruments. We have the resources such as copper in Baluchistan. Many companies, particularly from Japan, such as Honda have assembling plants here.

I find it hard to believe that it will take decades to make technological exports. What really boggles me is that there is not yet ONE SINGLE PAKISTANI COMPANY that is doing this. In this aspect, India is now dominating over us. As they are doing all this.

And I don't just mean technology, other things as arts, manufacturing....the government should give grants to individuals for these ventures. The only way they will be able to do so is by getting out of the GOLD BACKED monetary system and come into a FIAT system, which will temporarily have some effects but will eventually take care of itself as time goes by.

HOARDING???? And please...explain to me what is ILLEGAL about exporting to Afghanistan? As long as money has been paid to the suppliers, what's the problem? Sometimes, it is for this reason I usually see in a majority of Pakistanis, particularly in Pakistan as just "pessimistic whining fasadis". In any case, if there is enough supplies to go around, perhaps exporting is legitimate course of action. There should still be a quota. But I do believe that there is mass food surplus as 95% of Pakistani land is agriculture.

And I also hope our reserves are used to build the country side, for the betterment of them.

Um maybe theres people begging because they can't afford the food?! Use your mind. The country wouldn't be exporting food, if it could sell the same product within the country (at the same or near the same price). We are exporting sporting goods (soccer balls etc.), surgical instruments (prongs etc.), but that is no where near the technology needed to export medical machinery (MRIs), computer parts, or any other high technological goods.

New Horizon you do fit your name and you do have a new horizon--it's a horizon that lies somewhere in our Sewage system!!

I am using my mind!!! and this is where the government should be coming in. To launch programs that would utilize food production to get to the people that need it. And the only way possible to get the country out of this mass poverty is by getting out of the British Fractional Reserve system. Ok maybe you're right...MAYBE. iF you look CLOSELY at the banking system (Google Money masters), you will understand why our country is in such shambles over the course of history, and money distribution that, directly and indirectly is responsible for all this like a dominos chain reaction.

In any case, either way supply and demand for not only rations, but housing, and other necessities is not being met.

These are the same things that weakened the Roman Empire, the same system that brought down the British Empire, which was built under the "tally stick system" and not the current "fractional reserve" system which is backed by gold and debt and taxes. Also see the Mughal, and the Arab financial system back in their days of empire rule.

And it is this system that founders of Pakistan foolishly copied and thus having economic problems we have today.

Overall, I am not saying food and agriculture by stopped. I'm saying if NECESSARY, have a quota, like the Chinese have on import and export of valuable commodities as steel and food.

The government must first take priorities in feeding their own population and it CAN BE DONE in mass quantities if we get into a FIAT CURRENCY SYSTEM, with tight price control regulations on commodities, Pakistan can overcome all shortages that inflict it. And that too WITHIN 10 years. If we continue the way it's going now, then "progress" will be VERY VERY SLOW regardless (if there is any).

funny ceaser....how it indirectly explains YOU. The way I see it, you have no more a brain than a typical donkey (hell even it has a much more capable brain to realize when things are going wrong for him ). You are SO DUMB that I don' know if I should cuss at you or cry. I just hope the MAJORITY of the population and Pakistani readers are EDUCATED ENOUGH to know all of this, because if not, this country will be ANOTHER PIECE OF HISTORY that may never be mentioned in history...sooner or later.

The fact is and was that we don't have a food supply shortage!

First kinnoo container was dispatched to Russia after a year of ban on Pakistani farm products by the Russian Phytosanitary Department, say officials of the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board.

The Russian team, currently in Pakistan to inspect kinnoo export procedures and facilities, inspected the 27,000-ton container and sent it off to Russia.

Zahid Kinnoo Graders have met all phytosanitary demands of Russians and have qualified for export.

Russia had banned all farm imports from Pakistan after it found a pest — khapra beetle — in one of the rice consignments from Pakistan. The citrus family fruit became the major victim. During the last three years, kinnoo exports to Russia had risen from zero to over 30,000 tons.

“Russia has the potential to become the largest market for Pakistani kinnoo,” says Chief Operating Officer (CCO) of the PHDEB Mohammad Iqbal.

The kinnoo export can touch a phenomenal figure of 200,000 tons to Russia alone - the current total kinnoo export are just around that figure.

Should that happen, the kinnoo export to Russia alone would fetch some $50 to $60 million. The figure assumes added significance when viewed against the background of total worth of horticulture exports from Pakistan, which are worth around $138 million, he said.

Another advantage of the Russian market is that it requires small and medium size kinnoo, which consumers from no other country accept. So, the Russian market can absorb almost the entire produce of small size, which otherwise mainly goes waste at the post-harvest level or gets very small price in domestic market, he said.

“The news is that the Russian market has opened up after a year, giving new hopes to the horticulture sector in the country,” says a fruit exporter from the city.

With the Russian ban and Malaysia slapping 25 per cent duty on Pakistani kinnoo, the fruit exports were in real danger.

Now, with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with Malaysia, which used to consume 40 per cent of kinnoo, and the lifting of ban by Russia, the kinnoo export must start looking up now, he hoped.

If both these markets, along with Iran, are exploited to their full potential, Pakistan would find it hard to meet the demand, he claimed.

Other markets, like Czech Republic and the UK, are in addition to these markers, he said and added: “on positive note, the domestic production practices have started improving to the world standards.

Once these pre- and post-harvest practices are attuned to international realities, Pakistan’s kinnoo export should easily double, even triple. Even this year, Pakistan hopes to improve its previous record of 200,000 tons by at least 30,000 tons. With the Malaysian market just opened and exporters experiencing logistical problems in sending out fruit, it may not make much of difference. But from next season, Malaysia should also start absorbing over 50,000 tons of big size kinnoo.”

Why did Russia ban kinnow import in the first place.

Russia had banned all farm imports from Pakistan after it found a pest — khapra beetle — in one of the rice consignments from Pakistan. The citrus family fruit became the major victim. I think it is political rather than technical, now Pakistan recently imported most expensive wheat from Russia, so you can do the math.

D'oh!!!

Ok! I will eat Indian kinnows this 'New Year'

Pakistan Exports 32,500 tons of kinno

LAHORE, Dec 25: Pakistan exported 32,500 tons of kinno till Dec 17 when the Eid festivities and holidays temporarily suspended the process.

The exports mainly went to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Ukraine. A few containers also left for Russia, which recently lifted ban on import of Pakistani kinno, but it would pick up in the next few days.

According to local exporters, the process would not pick up with added momentum as chilly weather has improved the fruit both in colour and taste.

The country would easily cross export target of 225,000 tons this year, they hoped.

“With weather getting clearer, the export process should gather greater momentum in the next few days and weeks,” says Mohammad Iqbal of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB).

The current chilly spell has given the fruit its colour and taste and should help gain even better momentum for export, he said.

The Russian team had recently cleared 14 plants for sending kinno to Russia, which is emerging as a big market and has potential to become the biggest.

During the next few years, kinno export to Russia may touch a figure of 200,000 tons.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/26/ebr10.htm

Good news. Does anyone know exactly how much a ton of kinno sells for (on the global market)?

Mostly depends upon sizes and juice content. But I think for Russia it is $ 250 to $ 300 per Ton. It is small to medium.
Malaysia should also start absorbing over 50,000 tons of big size kinnoo.
Name of kinnoo is established at California USA, but it take off in Pakistan.

So if we export 200,000 tons of it to Russia (starting in a few years time), that would be like $60 million worth of exports... fairly nice, I have to say.

fairly nice?? this is a shocking figure, do you know Taiwan fruit exports? With the most fertile lands in the world that is a shameful figure our export should be 10 times that

Thats why I said fairly nice! Not amazing! And that is just Kinno exports to Russia! Not our total fruit exports!