Pakistan ran its second annual kinnow mandarin exhibition in Amsterdam last Friday, part of a long-running effort to increase exports of the variety to the European market.
The exhibition, held in a hotel in the Dutch city, was organised by peak industry body the Pakistan Horticulture Export and Development Company (PHDEC) with the Commercial Wing of the Pakistani embassy, reported the Pakistan Times.
The display was targeted at traders and consumers, according to commercial counsellor Muhammad Ashraf, with the event attracting visits from high-level functionaries in the Dutch government and diplomatic corps.
“Our kinnow is amongst the juiciest mandarins produced anywhere in the world,” Mr Ashraf told the Pakistan Times. “It is unique in taste and has the potential to penetrate the European market, provided we devise and implement a coherent marketing strategy involving all the stakeholders.
“We had developed a three-year market penetration strategy in the Benelux market; this is the second year of implementation of the strategy. During the first phase, we had coordinated with the prominent importers in the Netherlands to ensure the continuous supplies in the market and ran the consumer awareness programme through promotional events.
“In the second phase we are now organising the B2B events. Besides promoting Pakistan’s exports, trade-related events are also instrumental in promoting the soft image of Pakistan.”
The kinnow mandarin variety is widely cultivated in Pakistan, which accounts for 95 per cent of global production of the variety.
The seeded mandarin has historically found difficulty penetrating the European market, which has a preference for seedless mandarins, but has found some favour as a juicing fruit.
