President Dr Arif Alvi has called upon Pakistan’s citrus growers to improve the quality of their produce through value addition and the use of modern technology in order to capture the international market.
He was speaking at the Citrus Show 2022 jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce, the Sargodha Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Thursday. The exhibition was attended by traders, exporters, and horticulture citrus experts.
The President mentioned that quality packaging and preservation of citrus through cold chain logistics are important to boost citrus exports.
He said that measures such as organic production and growing seedless citrus varieties could help Pakistan find a niche in the international market and earn high-end revenues.
Pakistan is rich in the production of citrus and an effective policy is required to broaden the scope of exports, he emphasized. He noted that the country’s citrus produce has the potential to reach the Central Asian market via Afghanistan and Europe through the Pakistan-Iran-Turkey cargo train.
As Pakistan’s successful mango diplomacy, asserted the President, has already made its mark in the world, the focus on citrus will have similar success. He said the country’s footprint in citrus production needs to match the proportion of its population and exports, stressing the need for using technology to increase the per acre yield.
Dr Alvi highlighted the importance of collaboration between academia and industry in devising productive policies aligned with the demands.
Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce Alia Hamza Malik said the Commerce Ministry has constituted a working group for a doable policy to enhance kinnow production, and the production of an improved and seedless variety is being prioritized to boost exports.
President Alvi visited the citrus stalls carrying a variety of kinnows, mussami, succri, and ‘blood’ oranges, among other kinds, and lauded the efforts of the Sargodha Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
