Pakistani kinnows – a long way from penetrating the European market

Pakistani kinnows are known worldwide for their quality. The fruit is widely available in the Gulf region, making the Middle East the largest market for kinnows. Unfortunately, kinnows have been struggling to capture the attention of Europe.

In Europe, kinnows are known to be typically consumed by Pakistani expats. According to Khawaja Khurram Naeem, the Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Pakistan in Frankfurt, Germany, “We are exporting kinnows to the Middle East, the Far East, Bangladesh, Central Asia and some African countries. Russia has emerged as a major market for Pakistani kinnows. With existing supply chain constraints, we are only able to export small amounts to Europe, most of which are consumed by Pakistanis living there.”

 

Kinnows are known to be delicate fruits. “I believe that this is because our country lacks the agricultural technology to supply larger quantities to big markets such as Europe. Proper technology for packaging and for creating a controlled environment that would produce high quality fruits is what our farmers back home need,” says Naeem.

 

Another issue that Pakistani suppliers are encountering is the negative perception of the country and its companies as potential business partners. Naeem adds, “We have annual trade fairs in Pakistan and not a lot of European importers have shown interest. Buyers were previously not very keen or willing to travel to Pakistan to attend such events but now their is a change of perception and this year 700 delegates from around the world attended EXPO Pakistan, which concluded on 12th November 2017.”

 

It might take a few more years to penetrate Europe but the future is bright for Pakistan. “I believe that the whole of Europe is a good market for us – especially Germany. They have high purchasing power and the quality of our products is way better than they have in their markets. We are actually already making headway as we are set to participate in a food fair in Berlin and we’ve recently had some German wholesalers participate in our expo in Pakistan,” Naeem concludes.

For more information:
Khawaja Khurram Naeem

Tel: 004969-69769711

Email: parep.cdf@t-online.de