Pakistan Rice, kinnow & potato exports to Iran hoped up

Tag: Dehydrated Potato

Pakistan exports of rice, kinnow and potatoes are hoped up as Iran has abolished import duty on these items, traders told Daily Times Saturday.

There was an import duty of up to 150 percent on rice, potato and kinnow in Iran, which has now been removed.

The president of Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Mines (ZCCI&M), Abdul Hakim Reigi, told the business community recently that Iran has made the import of rice, kinnow and potato zero-rated. The local exporters now have decided to increase their export to Iran and were willing to export local rice and other items to Iran and other countries via Iran.

Ijaz Ahmed Choudhary, a rice exporter, told Daily Times that the decision of cutting the import duty by Iran would definitely boost Pakistani rice export. Pakistani exporters would be able to export rice in large volumes because of good quality of local rice.

He said last year Pakistan could not export large quantity of rice to Iran because the last rice crop was not as good as it was expected to be. Besides, the huge import duty on rice by Iran was a big hurdle for Pakistani exporters although Iran remained a big market for the export of Pakistani items.

Abdul Wahid, chairman Fruit and Vegetable Association, said although no notification has been issued by the government of Iran, “but we think that this cut of import duty will definitely increase Pakistan’s export of fruit to Iran.”