In a surprising turn of events, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased thedemand for Pakistani Kinnow in international markets.

Known as the Mandarin Hybrid fruit that delivers a flavor akin to none,markets such as Russia, Iran, and other Central Asian countries lookforward to buying the fruit every year. Only last year, Pakistan earned itshighest export revenue of $222 million from exports amounting to 370,000tonnes of Kinnow.——————————

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As per reports, Pakistan’s total trade volume for Kinnow sits at Rs. 125billion. Among major harvesting units, Faisalabad and Sargodha account forthe majority of Kinnow yield, amassing 80% of total production in Pakistanlast year.

250,000 individuals are employed during the Kinnow season at 350 productionfacilities across the country.

On average, Pakistan exports 3 to 4 lac tonnes of Kinnow every year.Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistanare some of the main export destinations for the fruit, with Russia beingthe biggest buyer in the export market.

Although the demand continues to increase every season, exporters and localdistribution hubs this year are facing problems with the internationalsupply chain.

There’s stark unavailability of containers along the trade belt, mostlyalong the Gwadar and Karachi seaports, due to problems such as the closureof land and sea routes, restrictions on air travel, and cash-strappedbusinesses looking to buy Kinnow on installments.

The problems are surely there, but there’s massive room for periodicimprovements.