Pakistani exporters turn to sea route as border with Iran closed

Pakistani traders have begun exporting fruits and vegetables via the sea route to Iraq and Azerbaija…

Pakistani traders have begun exporting fruits and vegetables via the sea route to Iraq and Azerbaijan. They decided on this after their government halted trade with Iran.

Pakistan recently closed its border with Iran and suspended all trade following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the neighbouring country. In addition to this, four coronavirus cases have also been detected in Pakistan among people who had recently returned from Iran, which prompted authorities to suspend flight operations as well.

Earlier, Pakistan used to export potatoes and kinnow to Iraq and Azerbaijan through Iran. The closure of Pakistan-Iran border irked the exporters involved in sending goods to the two countries as they could face hefty losses.

“However, the exporters decided to change the route from land to sea to resume exports to Iraq and Azerbaijan,” said All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed in a statement. Citing figures, he said Pakistan exports 800 tons of potatoes and 500 tons of kinnow to the two countries annually.