ISLAMABAD: Pakistani growers must adopt the principles of integrated pest management standards for agro-based products in order to compete against the European Union and other developed countries in kinno exports.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan said this on Thursday during a meeting with exporters, growers and other stakeholders at Citrus Export Processing Unity at Bhalwal, near Sargodha.

Sultan said that United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and some Central Asian Republics are not importing Pakistani kinno anymore, while those importing our citrus fruit are not paying good prices.

However, he informed, Philippines and China are now open to exports of Pakistani citrus fruits. Last year the country exported 30,000 tonne kinno to Indonesia; the second biggest market after Russia. The export of kinno to these two states is expected to grow by 20 per cent, he said.

The country’s kinno is exported to 58 countries across the world.

New standards for importing agricultural products are being set — including sanitary and phytosanitary measures, pesticide residue elimination, cold treatment and pest-free area — which have made our products costlier for export destinations, he said.

The minister said the sector was facing problems of citrus canker and graining, which are detrimental to “kinno” exports with EU, Australia and US already have banned imports from countries where these diseases are reported in citrus fruits.

He assured growers, exporters and stakeholders of his ministry’s full cooperation and urged to formulate a comprehensive plan to increase kinno exports. The blueprint should include a facility for inspection of diseases; infection control programme; building nurseries for disease-free saplings; ensuring observance of good agricultural practices and integrated pest management standards; and access to new and profitable international markets.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2019