KARACHI, Jan 11: The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) will send a proposal to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) next week regarding incentives for the kinoo exports in paper carton.

This was assured by the chairman, EPB, Tariq Ikram to a group of kinoo exporters of paper cartons and wooden crates in a meeting held on Saturday at the EPB to discuss the incentives for kinoo exporters of paper carton.

According to exporters, the EPB chief had listened to the views of both kinoo exporters paper carton and wooden crates and said that he would send a proposal to the Commerce Ministry in this regard.

Kinoo exporters in paper carton have urged the EPB to provide Rs2 per kg subsidy so that they could compete in the world markets and kinoo exports in paper carton could increase.

“It is not clear whether the EPB chief would suggest Rs2 per kg subsidy or Re1 to Rs 1.50 per kg as he did not give any clear hint on this in the meeting,” a leading exporter, who attended the meeting, said.

Sources privy to the meeting said that some exporters, who have spent millions of rupees in importing paper carton, have threatened that they would ask their foreign buyers to suspend import of kinoo from Pakistan in case the government does not provide the level-playing field to kinoo exporters of paper carton.

However, other groups of exporters had strongly condemned the attitude of some exporters in the meeting. “This threat by some exporters is against the national interest,” said president of Fruit Vegetables Processors and Exporters Association, Mateen Siddiqui.

He said that at this position his association is not against the kinoo exports in wooden crates. The government should now provide subsidy of Rs2 per kg to exporters in paper carton so that foreign buyers could have an open choice to purchase kinoo in paper cartons rather than wooden crates due to similar price.

He said kinoo exports during November 15 to December 31, 2002 had dropped to 338 containers only as compared to 541 containers in the same period of 2001.

General Secretary, Pakistan Apple and Citrus Export Board (PACEB), Zaheer Ahmad did not agree that kinoo exports had declined in the start of this season. He said incentives are now required in export of apple and pomegranate instead of kinoo export in paper carton. “Kinoo exports are picking up pace,” he added.

“Any incentive to kinoo exporters of paper cartons will be a sheer wastage of national wealth as 90pc of paper carton is imported from Dubai, Brazil and Sweden,” Zaheer said.

He said that efforts should now be made to grow seedless kinoo in order to tap European markets. EPB should make plans to earn more and more foreign exchange and may not use tax payers’ earnings for feeding of handful of fruit exporters.

On the other hand, President Pakistan Citrus Fruits and Persimmons Processors Association (PCFPPA), Rana Mohammad Sadiq said that his members did not gather any positive signs from the EPB chief that their demands would be met on priority basis.

He said that the EPB chairman had, however, clearly said he would send a proposal to the Commerce Ministry after gathering information from various stake holders on Saturday and it will be up to the Ministry to provide Rs2 per kg subsidy.

“We will chalk out future strategy in case the Commerce Ministry fails to provide any incentives to kinoo exporters in cartons,” he said hinting at demonstration and protest at EPB office in Karachi and in front of Commerce Ministry in Islamabad in case their demands are not met.

He said that kinoo exporters in wooden crates had been opposing any incentive to kinoo exporters in paper carton as they were claiming of being politically very strong.