Prospects and challenges of organic fruit production in Pakistan
2013
Khan, A.S. | S. Ahmad Hussein. | Amjad, M.
Pakistan has an agro-based economy with about 70% of the population engaged in this enterprise. Geographically, Pakistan has a diverse climate which is suitable for the production of more than fifty types of fruit throughout the year. A range of temperate, subtropical, and tropical fruits are produced in all five provinces. Citrus, mango, guava, dates, banana, apple, peach, apricot, plum, and grapes are the leading fruit crops. Among them citrus, mangos, dates, and apples are exported. Although the export of some fruit commodities such as ‘Sindhri’ and ‘Chaunsa’ mangos, and ‘Kinnow’ mandarin have tremendous demand in international markets, their export market share is lower in Pakistan than other exporting countries. This paper discusses the prospects and challenges in the development of organic fruit growing in the Asian region, with special focus on Pakistan. At present China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are the leading organic fruit producing countries. Japan has emerged as the third largest market for organic fruit followed by Europe and the USA. Consumer demand for organically produced fruit is increasing due to increased awareness about health and environmental implications of growing fruit using conventional methods. However, small land holdings, lower yields, widely dispersed farms, long-term investment, low in-hand capital, and lack of national policy for organic fruit farming discourage growers to shift from conventional fruit growing to organic fruit production. There is lack of awareness of organic fruit production in Pakistan and a great need to establish an organic certification organisation at the national level in collaboration with global organic organisations. Formulation and implementation of organic legislation, regulations, and standards for organic production, as exist in other Asian countries, will help to increase the growth of the organic fruit production sector in Pakistan.
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