Pakistan’s 2016 horticulture exports rank 68th globally

LAHORE: Pakistan’s horticulture exports ranked 68th globally in 2016, which shows how apathetic as well myopic is the approach of the economic authorities in one of the best fruit producing countries in the world, a business leader said on Monday.

“In 2016, the country’s horticulture exports stood at $20,533,793. However, they can be raised to $1 billion if with the support of the government,” said Ahmad Jawad, in a statement. 

Jawad, who is the regional chairman of Horticulture Exports Committee of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), said if horticulture sector has been gaining importance internationally for the last two decades in world trade. 

“The fact is that in the recent years, developing countries have created a space for themselves in this market,” he said.  Having said this, he added, despite all their efforts, these countries had not able to move beyond four to five percent of the world trade. 

“In the light of Short-Term Export Enhancement Strategy, devised under Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2015-18, ministry of commerce has identified four focus areas and horticulture is one of them but nothing serious has been done for the sector as yet,” he said. 

Jawad remarked the placement of this sector under STPF had proved the enormous potential of horticulture exports. “However, there is a growing need for the government to strengthen the sector and that can only be done by giving it more attention,” the FPCCI official said.   Moving ahead, he urged the government to support the exporters by developing hot water treatment (HWT) plants and controlled atmosphere (CA) stores under equity sharing arrangements and incentives on freight-on-board (FOB) value.

“Pakistan’s geographical proximity to Middle East and Central Asia offer tremendous comparative advantage for the perishable horticulture products and meat due to short lead times,” Jawad said adding that a cold supply chain for exports to Central Asia was much needed.

“ Chile, China, and India reaped rich dividends through investment on value-addition in agriculture, and (especially in) horticulture products. Tanzania, a poor country, was able to make massive economic strides through investment on value-addition,” he said. On the contrary, he added, Pakistan’s horticulture sector, being a vulnerable sub-sector, where value-addition is critical, performed even worse as value-addition dropped from 14.50 percent, in 2005-06, to 11.30 percent, in 2015-16.