KARACHI, Feb 22: Heavy rains and hailstorms in Punjab few days back have played havoc with the kinoo plantation, thus affecting export shipments in the current season, exporters claim on Saturday.

Low supply of kinoo from main producing areas like Sargodha, Bhawal, Mandi Bahauddin and Toba Tek Singh into processing plants have virtually restricted to 10 per cent only as the rains and hailstorm have damaged a sizable plantation in these areas besides affecting the quality of fruit, they said.

The storm has caused heavy losses to the growers and processors. Exporters are now finding it difficult to meet commitment with foreign buyers well on time.

Various bodies of kinoo exporters are now busy in estimating the actual losses on account of severe damage to the plantation in Punjab’s main kinoo growing areas besides evaluating decline in foreign exchange earnings.

An official in the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) also confirmed on Saturday that the rains and hailstorm have destroyed the kinoo plantation but it is hard to tell the actual damage right now. “There will be an adverse impact on export earnings,” he said.

“Recent heavy downpour has affected the kinoo export by at least 40 per cent now,” president, Fruits Vegetables Processors and Exporters Association (FVPEA), Matin Siddiqui told Dawn on Saturday.

The rain has damaged around 40 per cent of the kinoo trees in key producing areas of Punjab, he claimed.

“The loss in crop and foreign exchange earnings will reach to over 60 per cent in case similar type of rain and hailstorm occur in main producing areas,” he said.

Matin also claimed that the exporters have suspended the shipments in the peak season due to shortage of quality kinoo. Currently old orders of foreign buyers, that were placed prior to rains, are being cleared.

Export of kinoo season gets under way from middle of November to early May and last year Pakistani exporters were busy in sending the consignments till May 12.

“Exporters may not be able to send the shipments till middle of May this season as they may have to conclude by March 30 due to shortage of fruit and poor quality arriving from producing areas,” he said.

General Secretary, Pakistan Apples and Citrus Export Board (PACEB), Zaheer Ahmed was of the view that over 60 per cent of the plantation in Punjab as well as exports have suffered a set back at this moment due to the recent incident.

The life of kinoo has shrunk to only few days since the hailstorm has caused a hole in the fruit, thus affecting its quality. As a result, all such types of kinoo will soon find way into the markets for local consumption as quality conscious foreign markets will not accept it,” he said.

He said that only 10 per cent of kinoo is arriving in processing plants of Punjab producing areas for waxing and grading. He said containers, bringing sizable quantities from Punjab for onward shipments abroad from the port, are returning empty.

The EPB official said that Pakistan produces around two million tons of kinoos every year and more than 70 per cent production comes from Sargodha alone. Majority of the fruit is consumed here while over 100,000 tons are exported to Far East, some European countries and Arab countries. In

2001-2002, Pakistan exported 121,000 tons of kinoos worth $20 million.

In July-December 2002-2003, a total of Rs289 million kinoos have been shipped as compared to Rs178 million in the same period of last fiscal, the official said.