January 10, 2003	Friday	Ziqa’ad 6, 1423

KARACHI, Jan 9: The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) is actively considering providing some incentives to kinoo exporters of paper carton and has called upon a meeting on Saturday with the stakeholders to discuss the incentives for kinoo export in paper carton.

EPB chairman Tariq Ikram will discuss at length the incentive schemes with the exporters of paper carton. The EPB has also summoned exporters of kinoo in wooden crates in this meeting.

As a result of this development, Pakistan Citrus Fruits and Persimmons Processors Association (PCFPPA), a group of kinoo exporters of paper carton, has decided to postpone the peaceful demonstration and dumping of millions of empty kinoo cartons on the main road of Shahra-e-Faisal on Friday.

PCFPPA president Rana Mohammad Sadiq told Dawn that the association would decide future course of action in case the EPB fails to come up with any scheme till January 17.

“We have asked the government to provide a rebate of Rs2 per kg to kinoo exporters of paper carton so that foreign buyers would automatically shift to kinoo in carton from wooden crates. It will eliminate the disparity in prices of local kinoo in world markets,” he said, adding kinoo in cartons now fetches $3.5 per kg as compared to kinoo in wooden crates at three dollars.

“The government has now two options — either impose ban on the export of kinoo in wooden crates or provide rebate of Rs2 per kg to kinoo exporters in paper carton,” he said, hoping that the EPB boss would come up with attractive scheme on Saturday.