Azeem Ahmed Khan

Climate change, lack of research, poor water management, and high production costs have been reducing Pakistan’s fruit and vegetable exports for the last seven years, said General Secretary All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetables Exporters Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Waheed Ahmed while talking to WealthPK.

Quoting the International Trade Centre, he said Pakistan’s fresh fruit and vegetable exports have been falling since 2018. “Our production is decreasing annually, so how can we increase our exports? The global exports in 2022 reached $225 billion, but our exports were worth $515 million during the 2022-23 period – just 0.23% of the world total.

In contrast, our imports have risen, with the country spending $403 million on imports in 2021 and $425 million in 2022,” he said. Waheed, who is also a member of the Agri Task Force and the Green Pakistan Initiative, emphasizes that climate change is Pakistan’s biggest challenge that affects every fruit and vegetable crop in the country.

“Global warming has altered the rainfall patterns, temperatures, and plant physiology, leading to irregular fruit-bearing. It has impacted Pakistan since 2013, but its effects have intensified over the last three years. This shift has also changed the pest and disease patterns, requiring increased pesticide use.” Waheed stresses the need for planting new pest-resistant varieties to counteract the climate change.

Pakistan should partner with friendly countries like China and Iran to grow new varieties, as research in Pakistan is lagging behind, he suggested. Waheed, also a member of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, calls for the establishment of Rs6 billion research and development fund to promote horticultural production.

He urged the government institutes to focus on real issues like fruit quality and provide research-based solutions, while the provincial extension agencies should share innovative farming techniques with the small farmers. He criticized the country’s research institutions, pointing out that despite importing kinnow from the United States over 60 years ago, Pakistan has not yet introduced any new varieties. However, he adds that the PFVA has begun working on a seedless kinnow variety and has secured funding from the Punjab government.

This initiative will include seedless citrus varieties such as lime, lemon, and kinnow with fewer seeds. Waheed also stresses the need for expanding the production areas to meet both the export demands and the rapidly growing population, which is increasing 4% annually. “To avoid a food crisis in the coming years, the food production must rise in line with the population growth. Pakistan is not a wealthy country and cannot afford to import every food item; therefore, emergency measures must be taken now,” he said.

He pointed out that the rising production costs are due to the lack of modern agricultural practices. The Pakistani farmers still use outdated production technologies. They must adopt advanced techniques. There’s a need to optimize the use of natural resources by adopting high-density farming or increasing the number of trees per acre. “Water management is another critical issue. We may face a severe water crisis in the next three to four years.

We must adopt efficient water usage techniques, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, to reduce 60% of irrigation water we waste. A government subsidy for these irrigation systems will help our farmers adopt these modern practices,” he added. “Local companies should join ventures with foreign enterprises, such as those from China or Turkey, to manufacture irrigation materials locally.

Additionally, small dams should be built. If the costs are prohibitive, at least the underground water levels should be maintained by channeling the rainwater,” he suggested. The kinnow sector, according to Waheed, faces an alarming situation, with 60% of the crop affected by pests, insects, and diseases like citrus peel miners, citrus canker, and citrus melanoses. He also highlights the threat to mango production from mango malformation disease, which requires urgent attention.

“Agriculture research and extension departments must address these issues immediately,” he said. Waheed also pointed out that Pakistan’s trade in value-added products, such as kinnow juice concentrate, mango pulp, clarified apple juice concentrate, apple puree, jams, and marmalades, remains minimal. “While the global market earns $300 billion from these exports, Pakistan’s earnings from value-added products total only $20 million,” he pointed out.

Credit: INP-WealthPk