November 17, 2002	Sunday	Ramazan 11, 1423

LAHORE, Nov 16: The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) meeting with the exporters of kinoos on Saturday remained inconclusive owing to a stay order obtained by Fruit Vegetable Processors and Exporters Association chairman Mateen Siddiqui.

Mr Siddiqui has obtained the stay order from the Sindh High Court, Karachi, which retrained the EPB from effecting change, addition, amendment, alteration or relaxation in the settled policy for export of kinoos.

The court has asked the EPB, CBR revenue division, ministry of food agriculture and livestock and Export Collectorate, Custom House, to appear before the court on November 18 to show cause against the application.

The EPB chairman, Tariq Ikram, however, heard the points of view of the representatives of the Fruit Vegetable Processors and Exporters Association (FVPEA) and the Kinoo Processing and Grading and Exporters Association (KPGEA) in a meeting held at EPB, Lahore office, but withheld any decision till November 18.

It may be mentioned that Mr Siddiqui had submitted in the Sindh High Court through his counsel that the EPB had last year allowed the export of kinoo in cardboard/paper cartons and in its letter dated April 24 this year disallowed export in wooden crates and made it mandatory for the kinoo exporters to export their commodity in cardboard\paper cartons.

The court says that the plaintiff also took a stance that the export of kinoo starts from Nov 15 and he has made preparation for the export of kinoos to foreign countries valuing Rs6 million and for such export he has also procured the requisite cartons in conformity with the EPB requirement.

Plaintiff stated that the EPB, unmindful of the facts, has convened a meeting to discuss the issue of exports of kinoos in wooden crates or paper cartons. He contended that in case there is a shift in policy and the kinoo exporters are allowed export in wooden crates only, not only the entire export business of kinoo from Pakistan will be jeopardized causing colossal loss to him and other exporters but will also result in enormous loss of foreign exchange to the country.

After the meeting at EPB office, KPGEA chairman, Haji Muhammad Azam and other members Muhammad Akram and Najeeb Anwar told Dawn that the decision to shift the kinoo packing from wooden crates to paper carton was never communicated to them. They said the EPB had kept them in the dark.

They said that they had told the meeting that the kinoo export in paper cartons will increase the cost as well as reduce the exports volume. They said the wooden crate is locally available at the rate of Rs13 while the paper carton will cost Rs35.

They also said the wooden crates can be procured on credit from the local market, while it will be very difficult to arrange paper cartons immediately.

They also alleged that the FVPEA had manoeuvred the decision to export kinoos in paper carton because they wanted to monopolize the kinoo export market. “But this decision is not acceptable to the small exporters working in Bhalwal, Sargodha,” they added.

They also said that the export season also bring work for local residents to prepare wooden crates and earn their livelihood. Similarly, he said the trucks carrying kinoos in wooden crates will also be replaced by those having refrigeration system to carefully transport kinoos packed in paper cartons.

When contacted, EPB chairman Tariq Ikram said the issue to export kinoos in paper cartons was discussed last year as around 85 per cent exporters had demanded that the kinoos should be exported in paper cartons as it was necessary for value addition.

He said the representatives of FVPEA and KPGEA were verbally told during the last year meeting, that from next year (year 2002) kinoos will be exported in paper cartons. He said the EPB had also communicated this decision in writing in April this year to all stakeholders.

Mr Ikram said the EPB also did not want that small exporters should be affected and would take care of their difficulty in finance and credit.

Answering a question, he said the wooden crate costs from Rs15 to Rs25, while the local paper carton costs Rs35, which does not make much difference. He also said that the paper cartons are available locally in abundance.

Mr Ikram said the export of kinoo had last year increased from $16 million to $20 million. He said kinoos are being exported in Indonesia, Philippines, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia and seedless kinoos to the UK and Europe.