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| Sunday, 11 January 2004 |
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Inconsistent supply hampers tamarind exports by Hiran H. Senewiratne Sri Lanka will lose a valued tamarind export order to Pakistan due to inconsistent supply, an Export Development Board (EDB) official said. Sri Lanka produces more than 3.17 million metric tonnes of tamarind per year both for the domestic and export markets, said Deputy Director (Export Agriculture) of the EDB, M.Z.M Farhad. He said Pakistan, a regular buyer, is now moving out to other countries due to the inconsistent supply from Sri Lanka. He said tamarind is the second highest exported fruit in terms of volume after pineapples. However, exports have come down dramatically during the last few years. Tamarind exports to Pakistan have come down by 75 per cent in 2002 from the figures of 1996. According to EDB statistics, in 1997, Sri Lanka had exported 1800 metric tonnes of tamarind, while the export quantity was only 580 metric tonnes in 2002. This fruit can be used mainly as a food preservative, and also as an industrial crop. "There is a ready market for this product. It can be promoted in other countries, specially in Europe, through value addition," said Farhad. The root cause for the problems faced by the sector is the lack of a proper crop management system in the country for the tamarind industry, he said. Farhad said the cultivation of tamarind being confined mostly to natural forests, road sides and home gardens specially in the North Western and Southern areas has prevented the growth of the industry. The lack of strategic planning to improve the industry on a mass scale has prevented exporters from venturing into other lucrative European markets, he added. Pakistan requires more than 50,000 Mt of tamarind per year, which is mostly imported from Thailand and Indonesia, he added. According to Farhad, 90 per cent of Sri Lanka's fresh tamarind exports go to Pakistan, while 10 per cent is exported to the Maldives. To improve the industry, the EDB will organise a series of awareness programmes with the participation of the Department of Agriculture, growers and traders, he added. Moreover, areas like Wayamba and Mahaweli have been selected by the EDB for the promotion of the industry in a more organised way to give a boost to the sector. |
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