Kinnow harvest was smaller than previously forecast this season as water shortages and unexpected higher temperature cut into yields, an industry official said.
Kinnow harvest was smaller than previously forecast this season as water shortages and unexpected higher temperature cut into yields, an industry official said.
Ahmad Jawad, CEO Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF), said the industry expects Kinnow harvest could shrink by 50 percent below original forecast this season.
He said Kinnow exports will start from the first week of December, with a farm price of Rs2,000 per maund.
“The export target for this season is around 250,000 tonnes, and the price per maund is higher due to lesser output of the fruit,” Jawad said.
Speaking of potential of Pakistani kinnow in Russian and Iranian markets, Jawad said the State Bank of Pakistan should particularly facilitate the exporters for kinnow exports in Russia and Iran by issuing e-forms timely and making special arrangements for banking channels.
“The central bank could not open formal banking channels both for Iranian and Russian markets from the last couple of years, due to which their potential could not be tapped,” he lamented.
Iranian market can absorb between 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of kinnows, while the size of the Russian-Ukrainian-Belarus market (the largest citrus importer in the world) for Pakistani citrus fruit may be doubled from the present around 50,000 tonnes, within no time provided the government establishes proper banking links with the two markets, according to Jawad.
“With an average annual harvest of 2.4 million tonnes, citrus contributes about 30 percent to total national fruit production, which is increasing at an annual rate of 1.5pc for the last two decades or so. During this period its export has expanded rapidly by 17pc per annum,” he said.
PBF chief told that China-Pakistan Horticulture Research and Demonstration Centre (CPHRDC), collaboration between Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) and the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), was unveiled. Certificates were awarded to the joint research project in charge at the site, Jawad informed.
CPHRDC is an international research and demonstration facility at HZAU in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It is home to a variety of research projects and programmes focusing on various topics, including fruit and vegetable breeding, labour-saving and high-quality horticultural crop production, post-harvest management, greenhouse production, and more.
Jawad informed that the centre would host educational events and workshops, making it a valuable resource for horticultural academia and industry. “It will assist scientists and farming communities from both sides in increasing output and productivity.”
Key areas of the CPHRDC collaboration are joint research on horticultural production techniques, implementation of joint projects on horticultural production, cooperation in the development of new varieties, etc.
The joint research projects under CPHRDC for 2023-2024 include citrus variety evaluation, popularisation, and the research and development demonstration of high-quality production technology.
The projects also cover research and training on post-harvest quality maintenance and standardisation of post-harvest operation of kinnow citrus fruit, research on germplasm enhancement and cultivar extension of solanaceous vegetables, and landscape horticulture management and construction technology.
Originally published at The News