Vegetable imports from India in full-swing

Large-scale damage to tomato crops due to flooding and skyrocketing prices drive large quantity of imports from India.

NEW DEHLI: Large-scale damage to tomato crops due to the recent flooding and skyrocketing prices of the commodity are driving large quantity imports from India and hundreds of tomato-laden trucks are crossing over via the Attari-Wagah border every day.

“Over 125 trucks (carrying 16 tons each) of tomatoes are going to Pakistan daily through the Wagah border,” said Rajdeep Uppal, vice president of the Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce.

Besides tomatoes, soya bean meal from India is in great demand, added Uppal who heads a leading export house in Amritsar. “Roughly 400 to 500 trucks of soya bean meal are also going to Pakistan every week.”

There has been resurgence in tomato exports to Pakistan despite a six per cent duty, said Uppal. He explained that two years ago the Pakistani government had imposed a 48 per cent duty on potatoes, 28 per cent on onions and 6 per cent on tomatoes, which virtually halted vegetable trade between two countries. However, damage to crops due to the floods has revived trade despite the duties.

Except for onions, for which government fixes a minimum export price, there is no bar on export of any fresh vegetable produce from India, shared Uppal.

Meanwhile, Surendra Kumar from the Tomato Traders Association at Azadpur market (India) said that export incentives have been provided by the government in order to motivate traders to send their produce across the border.

Truckloads of potatoes are also coming into Pakistan, according to Kumar, who is personally involved in the export of tomatoes.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2010.