KARACHI: Exporters hope to recapture Far-East market for kinno exports when the season begins in October.

The Far-East market, mainly Philippine, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia, was lost about two years back due to global recession, higher domestic prices and stiff competition from Chinese mandarin.

Khalid Ejaz, a leading exporter who has just returned from ‘Asia Logistics’ fair in Hong Kong, said that importers in Far-East who visited the fair were excited to receive super quality Pakistan kinno with better quality, nice packing and effective shipping schedule.

The country lost a lucrative kinno export market in Indonesia when it slapped higher duty on Pakistani fruits and applied higher valuation for clearance.

It’s signing of FTA with China, which allowed duty-free import of mandarin, proved a last nail in the coffin.

Iran and Middle East, including Dubai, etc., constitute another major market for Pakistani kinno and exporters hope to get a major chunk of the market.

The Iranian government in a latest move informed Pakistan quarantine that it would allow kinno from the next season only in refrigerated containers duly sealed by the customs in line with an agreement signed by the two governments for fruits trade by road.

Chairman, All Pakistan Fruits and Vegetable Importers and Exporters Association, Abdul Wahid, told Dawn that in a meeting held in Lahore under the chairmanship of Punjab chief secretary it was decided that a custom checkpost would be set up in Bhalwal near Sargodha, the main kinno crop area which would give clearance to consignments only in refrigerated containers for Iran.

The quarantine department will issue phyto-sanitary certificates for consignments in containers which would be duly sealed.