Low yields, high production costs, poor quality produce, a lack of new crop varieties, as well as a flawed tax system, all contributed to Pakistan's share in global exports of fresh fruits, vegetables and their value-added products amounting to a mere $671m in 2014-15. Smuggling of fruits and vegetables to the neighbouring countries is another area of concern.
Exporters estimate that exports can fetch $6bn in the next 10 years if an incentive package is initiated in the upcoming budget. The Chairman of All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchant Association, Waheed Ahmad said that the export potential of this promising sector has remained untapped. “We have given a comprehensive presentation to the prime minister recently on issues in developing the sector,” he added.
In a detailed report, the association has listed short-, medium- and long-term measures to promote export from the sector over the next 10 years. “We are expecting that the government will incorporate the proposals in the budget 2016-17. The untapped fruits for export include banana, guava, ber, cheeko, papaya and jamun. And the vegetables with export potential include bitter gourd, okra, tinda, gourd, cauliflower and eggplant. In the identified value-added sector, major products are kinno juice concentrate, mango pulp, apple juice concentrate, apple puree. The exports of these value-added products amounted to just $4.2m in the last fiscal year when the global trade in these commodities was more than $25bn.
