December 10, 2006	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 18, 1427

ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: Pakistan is working on a strategy to divert export of mangoes and citrus to India following high demand in the Indian market for the superior quality of the two fruits.

An official in the commerce ministry said that Pakistan would focus on marketing of these fruits to India which could become a big market for Pakistani mango and kinno.

Presently, Pakistan’s leading market for kinno export was Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and Indonesia.

The PHDEB had recently issued a research study, which stated that the total production of citrus in Punjab might drop to around 1.50 million ton this year.

In Sargodha division alone, total production last year was 1.24 million tons and a 30 per cent drop means that the anticipated production would be around 0.9 million tons in the area.

The export target was 200,000 tons during the fiscal year 2005-06, whereas total production stood at 2.2 million tons. This year the total production is expected to be around 1.5 million tons.

The official said though India itself produces both the fruits, they were inferior in quality and flavour. India could become a major market for “our horticulture exports”, the official added.