Good Export for Pakistani Mandarins Despite Bad Weather

Pakistan is one of the major mandarin exporters in the world. In 2018, it exported over 152 million USD worth of mandarins, the equivalence of 392K metric tons. Pakistan is home to a special mandarin variety called Kinnow. This variety, which is also grown in India, is a hybrid of two cultivars: the King and the Willow Leaf. It is especially popular in Asia and the Middle East, which are also the main export destinations for Pakistan. It is grown in the Sargodha Division, which is also known as the “California of Pakistan”, according to Awan Traders.

Kinnow exports have been growing for several years, with a growth rate of 22% in 2018. This year as well, the Pakistani fruit and vegetable export association reports that the total volume exported so far this year is already higher than the target set by the association. The country has so far exported 350K metric tons, which is 25K tons higher than the goal that was set, and the total export volume is expected to reach 400K tons this year. The goal was set quite low, as the country expected high production costs and fierce competition from Turkey and Morocco. The main importer of Pakistani mandarins was Russia.

Despite the increased volume exported, it was not an easy season for Pakistani exporters. According to Awan Traders, Pakistani mandarins are very susceptible to weather conditions. A hail storm damaged the crops quite badly, causing prices on the domestic market to go up. This led to a difficult start of the season, with very high export prices as well. When the market normalized, the export prices decreased and the export volume picked up. In terms of volume, Pakistani exporters had a good year, but in terms of quality and price, the year was not that good.

Although the mandarin export has been doing well the last few years, according to Awan Traders, it still has room to improve. “Modern techniques, such as drip irrigation and machine-assisted planting methods, are being introduced by the government but there is no proper result due to lack of knowledge at farming level.” Improved techniques and improved production processes could help especially with preventing negative consequences from extreme weather, as it could help the producers and exporters predict when to harvest the products. Awan Traders mentions that the Pakistani government needs to start investing to make the Pakistani mandarin market healthy and profitable. Two main steps need to be taken. Firstly, the government should implement regulations and subsidies to innovate farming in Pakistan. It should educate farmers on how to benefit from these innovations. Secondly, it should work hard on opening up the Iranian market, as that could lead to an additional 70-80K tons of export.