PHDEC’s revival likely to boost fruit exports

Company will work on quality improvement, ensure pre-shipment inspection

LAHORE: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has welcomed the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to revive the defunct Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC), believing the move will help boost horticulture exports if the company’s performance is strictly monitored.

FPCCI Horticulture Exports Committee Regional Chairman Ahmad Jawad, in a statement, emphasised that PHDEC could play a significant role in the export of fruits and its reinvigoration would help increase shipments of kinnow, citrus and other fruits.

He revealed that major agriculture and horticulture exporters would meet to come up with recommendations for PHDEC’s revival and draw a road map for increasing fruit exports. New varieties, which had demand in the market, should be developed, he said.

Jawad voiced hope that PHDEC would work on quality improvement with a strict regulatory mechanism and pre-shipment inspection of goods so that Pakistan’s fresh produce could be exported.

In this regard, a task force will be constituted for increasing exports of mango, kinnow and other fruits. It will also make recommendations for the revival of PHDEC.

On expected kinnow exports in the upcoming season, Jawad pointed out that Pakistan could not produce a bumper crop this year in the wake of sudden hailstorms and less rains in plantation areas. However, he said, the fruit quality was quite satisfactory.

Kinnow farmers of Sargodha district will receive ex-farm price of Rs20 per kg which, Jawad said, had been decided and would be ensured under the supervision of local administration. He asked kinnow exporters to support the price decision in order to strengthen the farmers as for the past two years the growers had suffered badly from the impact of climate change.

He also underlined the need for policy-makers to support the agriculture sector in an effort to strengthen the rural economy, which would, in turn, provide support at the national level.

“We’re lagging behind Indian Punjab, though the condition of soil, climate and other factors are almost the same,” he said. “Similarly, we have a large produce of citrus and milk and also have many multinational companies in the domestic market, but we couldn’t translate these factors into exports of processed or value-added byproducts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2017.

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