Pakistan eyes 300,000 tons of citrus exports

LAHORE: The target of 300,000 tons of citrus export will be achieved this year, a spokesman of Punjab Agriculture Department claimed on Tuesday.
He said that it is also expected that $200 million worth of export would be made. He maintained that the production and export of mangoes and citrus in Punjab is praiseworthy. We will be exporting 1.5 million metric ton mango worldwide this year, he added.
Lauding Punjab Agriculture Minister Dr Farrukh Javed, he said that due to the minister’s special interest and timely intervention, the fruit fly issue was controlled, increasing exports notably.
When Europe and Russia banned Indian mango and citrus due to fruit fly last year, it was a threat for Pakistani products as well. The provincial minister for agriculture himself visited Punjab’s several districts and made working groups to counter the pests. A special project to control fruit fly was started at the cost of Rs227.61 million.
Farmers and growers in Punjab will be provided with chemicals and medicine to control fruit fly on 50 percent subsidy during this four years project.