February 18, 2007	Sunday	Muharram 29, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Faced with the threat of losing more international markets, Pakistan has decided to introduce the system of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) by adopting EuroGAP certification that will enable the country to upgrade its fruit farming system in line with international standards.

Pakistan has been losing international markets of its agricultural produce - vegetables and fruits, particularly citrus — due to its inability to comply with International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standards and Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) regulations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Even the country's $40 million citrus market is in the grip of controversies.

The Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) have started work on a three-year project to introduce the system of GAP, official documents reveal.

Today EuroGAP certification is required by a considerable number of retailers, especially super markets. This can be a threat for some farmers, as non-compliance with EuroGAP standards may lead to exclusion from certain export markets. But it also offers a great chance to farmer groups to introduce sustainable agricultural practices based on integrated crop and pest management principles.

The process to have EuroGAP certification takes three years but after one year produce marketing organisations (PMOs) can get provisional certificates to enter into European markets.

The major reason behind the negligible exports to the European countries lies in the imposition of their quality standard — EuroGAP — as one cannot export to these countries until and unless the whole marketing chain of the produce has successfully passed through the process of EuroGAP certification.

The consumer-driven global horticulture sector demands high quality produce with assurance of quality at pre and post-harvest level. This situation has encouraged many countries to adopt the food production management and quality assurance systems such as EuroGAP, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

Citrus is among the main fruits produced and exported from Pakistan. Its production is mainly comprised kinno mandarin (citrus reticulate), followed by sweet orange (citrus sinesis).

Pakistan exports mostly to the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Central Russian states where the quality standards are not strict as compared to the developed countries of the world. The export of kinno to European countries is almost nil.

Keeping in view these constraints, the PHDEB has taken the initiative to acquaint the whole marketing chain of kinno produce with EuroGAP certification by involving all the important stakeholders.

These include growers, processors, exporters, ministry of food and agriculture (Minfal), agribusiness development and diversification project, and Agriculture Support Fund (ASF), etc.

The entire $5 billion annual export market for wheat in the USA was threatened in 1996/97 due to mis-identification of a smut fungus. Nearly 50 per cent of less developed nations have been prevented from exporting fruits and vegetables to the EU in 1997-2000.

The answer for Pakistan lies in introduction of good agricultural practices in citrus (kinno) orchards using the proven approach of Farmer Field School (FFS) and to obtain EuroGAP certification to satisfy international buyers especially in Europe, and improve institutional linkages with a view to moving from surplus-based export to `grow for export` approach.

The EuroGAP project is planned for three years and is likely to benefit a large number of participants of the production and marketing systems, including farmers, farm labour, contractors, transporters, traders (including exporters and importers) and consumers.