Pakistan’s fresh produce exports have registered a 16 per cent rise over the past twelve months to generate a total of US$625m in one year, the BlackSeaGrain reports.
The chairman of the Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Exporters Association (PFVEA) Waheed Ahmed, has pointed to the opening up South Korean and Japanese markets to Pakistani fruits as a primary cause.
Along with these major market, the Mauritus began accepting imports from Pakistan during this period.
Ahmed also noted export of potatoes to the Middle East, which recommenced after a lapse of seven years, as a driver of growth, particularly with the ban on potato exports from Saudi Arabia.
The 2012-13 season saw Pakistan onion exports reach record levels at 250,000 tonnes after a disappointing previous season where floods and rains had forced the country to import produce for domestic consumption.
Ahmed said he believed the country’s fruit and vegetable exports had the potential to reach US$1bn in revenue in around three years. However, he emphasised that due precedence must be given to horticultural research and development for this aim to be realised.
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