Agriculture: Challenges sour kinnow trade

Citrus, historically Pakistan’s largest fruit export, has experienced a significant decline in recent years, dropping from 558,376 tonnes valued at $211 million in FY21 to just 322,892 tonnes worth $91.64m in FY24.

Pakistan’s citrus sector is grappling with multiple supply-side challenges, including shrinking orchard areas, declining yields, and deteriorating fruit quality. Just over a four-year period (2018-19 to 2022-23), the area under citrus has decreased by 14 per cent nationwide and 14.84pc in Punjab...