LAHORE, Dec 2: The Fruits, Vegetables Processors and Exporters Association (FVPEA) has strongly resented the commerce ministry’s decision to allow export of kinoos in wooden crates.

Addressing a news conference at a local hotel on Monday, FVPEA president Mateen Siddiqui and joint secretary Saadat Ejaz said the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) had earlier decided that kinoos would be exported only in the cardboard/paper cartons. They said the decision was endorsed by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) and conveyed it to all the relevant departments.

They claimed that the decision taken by the commerce ministry on Nov 22 has created anxiety among the exporters because the importers had cancelled their orders from Pakistan and decided to import kinoos from China.

They also claimed that the exporters had already imported the paper cartons worth Rs200 million to meet the export demand. They said the cartons were at present lying at Karachi.

The FVPEA leaders said the decision to export kinoos in wooden crates would drastically cut the kinoo export and prove a setback for foreign exchange.

They demanded that the commerce ministry should reverse its decision because importers abroad demand kinoos in paper cartons and were ready to offer better price. The Sri Lanka had already banned import of kinoos in wooden crates. If the government did not reverse its decision, they said, the association would go to court for redressal of their grievance.

The leaders also said the association’s delegation is also scheduled to meet Commerce Minister Hamayun Akhtar Khan on Tuesday.