SARGODHA: Citrus stands as the second most important fruit worldwide in terms of area and production but unfortunately being a larg market of citrus production it is not a profitable harvest for Kinno growers due to various reasons in the country.
Talking to APP here Tuesday, President Kinno Growers Association Hamid Saleem Waaraich said that although citrus production was a profitable business but presently its status was threatened by a number of problems including low production due to pests and diseases, citrus canker is one of the most devastating disease, he added.
He said that Citrus stands on top among the 30 fruits grown throughout the country with Punjab dominating in production as about 59 per cent of the total area and almost 64 percent of the production among citrus is captured by the Kinno alone.
He said that the Kinno growers were facing severe problems as they cannot even meet the expenditures over Kinno production as the citrus canker was a threatening disease for its growth.
When the disease is severe, defoliation, dieback and fruit drop occur and infected fruits are less valuable or entirely unmarketable, he added.
He urged the government to conduct a thorough research and get a permanent solution avoiding the canker risk of citrus fields and also asked to enhance the export target by signing agreements with expanded foreign markets to support the dying citrus industry.
Director Citrus Research while contacted about the Kinno grower problems said that the main reason behind the citrus slump was that most of the farmers did not opt for modern prunning practices in their orchards as prunning controlled diseases and insects and also enhance the fruit quality.
He said that research was continued in this regard and the center has already introduced diseases free kinno plants which will be beneficial in enhancing production of quality and seedless Kinno.
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