As Kinnow Season Approaches, the export price has been set at Rs2,000 per maund, according to a notification of the district administration, because of lower output.
The CEO of Pakistan Business Forum has stressed, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) should timely issue E-forms and make special arrangements for establishing banking channels, for shipments particularly to the Iranian and Russian markets.
The SBP could not open formal banking channels for the two critical markets over the last couple of years.
He further emphasized the need to target Russian-Ukranian-Belarus Market saying that this could easily double the Exports in no time.
“This season, kinnow production has dropped by 50% due to acute canal water scarcity and unexpectedly high temperatures during the flowering stage of plants,” he pointed out.
Disappointed with the erratic canal water supply, kinnow export target will be fixed at a lower level at around 250,000 tons this season. “Although water has been in surplus quantity this year, temperature is an issue, which has affected our horticultural products,” Mahmood Nawaz Shah, an agricultural expert, told The Express Tribune.
In the absence of official figures, the estimates of production loss may vary.
“It seems kinnow production will be lower by 36% this year due to the impact of heat at the flowering stage,” said Hamid Malik, a Punjab-based farmer.
“However, I strongly believe that kinnow exports may not feel the pinch. Reasons for this are the reduction in sea freight rates, more availability of containers and weakening of Pakistani rupee versus global currencies,” he added.