Sri Lanka has exported its first consignment of fresh pineapples to Pakistan, opening a new overseas market for the country’s agricultural produce.
The first 20-foot container was packed for export on Friday (21), with C R Exports (Pvt) Ltd handling the shipment, Daily Mirror reported.
The export follows technical discussions between the National Plant Protection Organisations of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which established the phytosanitary arrangements required to ship fresh pineapples to the Pakistani market. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board, the Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan, the Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka and the Department of Commerce facilitated the shipment, together with the Department of Agriculture and the National Plant Quarantine Service.
A market of 252 million
Pakistan imports an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 metric tonnes of pineapples a year, worth around US$10 million. Thailand and the Philippines are among its main current suppliers.
Sri Lankan authorities expect local growers to take a larger share of that market, citing the quality, freshness and distinctive taste of Sri Lankan pineapples as well as the relative geographical proximity of the two countries. Pakistan’s population is around 252 million.
As part of the approval process, Mohammad Aqeed, an entomology researcher attached to Pakistan’s National Plant Protection Organisation, visited Sri Lanka and inspected selected pineapple cultivation sites and packing facilities.
Friday’s container is the first consignment to move after those phytosanitary arrangements were put in place.
No other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had reported the shipment at the time of writing; Ada Derana, NewsFirst, EconomyNext and Daily FT carried no coverage of it on Friday.
