Exporting Citrus- Pakistan’s famous Kinnow fruit: A fruity success story of language-based-services - English

Kinnow is a hybrid variety of the Mandarin orange, grown widely, especially within the Punjab province of Pakistan, as well as in many other parts of the world. Its cultivation is of great economic significance especially to Punjab, with a harvest near about in the region of 2 million tons every year, and besides fulfilling local demand, a good portion of that bountiful harvest - typically in the November to March calendar months - is exported to other countries around the globe, with consumers always thirsty for more of this citrus flavor, full of vital nutrients and a source of rich nourishment.

On the local side of the story, Sargodha being the key word or jargon, this is the name of the place in the Punjab renowned for its rich Kinnow harvest, and also happens to be at the center of the Kinnow trade in Pakistan. Sargodha and Kinnow are near synonyms for all those privy to the trade, its varied nuances, or translated - Citrus fruit industry insiders.

Exports have been growing year on year, with a multitude of new local traders, large and small, wanting to become part of the international supply chain, given the background of the most preferred export destinations being the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Dubai in particular, Bangladesh being another important importer of the Punjabi orange colored citrus fruit; besides noteworthy and the prime market for Pakistani Kinnow exports being Russia, especially via the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, from where the Kinnow consignments are transported by lorries, hitting Supermarket shelves across all the major Russian towns and cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg and many others across this giant of a country.

One such Sargodha and Lahore based trading company wanting to further penetrate the export markets, a reputed name in the local agro-trade especially in grains – wheat and rice mainly , contacted us a year earlier, wanting to expand the trade, especially to the Slavic countries. A family owned business, with the patriarch, a healthy white bearded 60 year-old Grandfather of 11 children, and father to 4 sons, all-working within the said firm, contacted us and requested immediate assistance.

He had put out an enquiry amongst family and friends as to who would be the best to help him contact Russian counter parties, especially given the language-barrier, he being Urdu-native and more admired for his businessmen skills, and less so for his Anglo-Saxon language speaking capabilities; as so happens in very traditional Pakistani business circles, a friend of a friend, a Sialkot based sports good exporting firm, and a long-term client of ours, put in the reference.

What followed over the subsequent 12 months, till date, was assisting Mr. Khan, identify potential customers vide the internet, i.e. via Russian language postings; intro mails and offerings to buyers, all manner of professional correspondence in Russian. Proposal submissions, quotations, to and fro correspondence, remote Interpreter assistance by an in-house consecutive Russian/Urdu female translator, and enabling Mr. Khan’s business website with Russian language options, and much more. Today, Mr. Khan is a happy man, with half a dozen odd volume buyers of his citrus supply. And now he wants to repeat the success with other fruits to other countries.