LAHORE, Dec 5: First kinnoo container was dispatched to Russia after a year of ban on Pakistani farm products by the Russian Phytosanitary Department, say officials of the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board.

The Russian team, currently in Pakistan to inspect kinnoo export procedures and facilities, inspected the 27,000-ton container and sent it off to Russia.

Zahid Kinnoo Graders have met all phytosanitary demands of Russians and have qualified for export.

Russia had banned all farm imports from Pakistan after it found a pest — khapra beetle — in one of the rice consignments from Pakistan.

The citrus family fruit became the major victim. During the last three years, kinnoo exports to Russia had risen from zero to over 30,000 tons.

“Russia has the potential to become the largest market for Pakistani kinnoo,” says Chief Operating Officer (CCO) of the PHDEB Mohammad Iqbal.

The kinnoo export can touch a phenomenal figure of 200,000 tons to Russia alone - the current total kinnoo export are just around that figure.

Should that happen, the kinnoo export to Russia alone would fetch some $50 to $60 million. The figure assumes added significance when viewed against the background of total worth of horticulture exports from Pakistan, which are worth around $138 million, he said.

Another advantage of the Russian market is that it requires small and medium size kinnoo, which consumers from no other country accept. So, the Russian market can absorb almost the entire produce of small size, which otherwise mainly goes waste at the post-harvest level or gets very small price in domestic market, he said.

“The news is that the Russian market has opened up after a year, giving new hopes to the horticulture sector in the country,” says a fruit exporter from the city.

With the Russian ban and Malaysia slapping 25 per cent duty on Pakistani kinnoo, the fruit exports were in real danger.

Now, with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with Malaysia, which used to consume 40 per cent of kinnoo, and the lifting of ban by Russia, the kinnoo export must start looking up now, he hoped.

If both these markets, along with Iran, are exploited to their full potential, Pakistan would find it hard to meet the demand, he claimed.

Other markets, like Czech Republic and the UK, are in addition to these markers, he said and added: “on positive note, the domestic production practices have started improving to the world standards.

Once these pre- and post-harvest practices are attuned to international realities, Pakistan’s kinnoo export should easily double, even triple. Even this year, Pakistan hopes to improve its previous record of 200,000 tons by at least 30,000 tons. With the Malaysian market just opened and exporters experiencing logistical problems in sending out fruit, it may not make much of difference. But from next season, Malaysia should also start absorbing over 50,000 tons of big size kinnoo.”