Businessmen request WFP to adopt standard for khashkhash

KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has requested the World Food Programme (WFP) director general David Beasly to differentiate white food grade poppy seeds from the opium seeds, a statement said on Wednesday.

Unisame president Zulfikar Thaver stated that since the code number of both seeds are the same, the genuine white food grade commodity called khashkhash, is being wrongly classified and categorised as a non-food item.

It is used as food in most households and sold in grocery stores all over the world, he added.

He pointed to the fact that in Pakistan khashkhash seeds are declared as food, food ingredient and a culinary commodity by the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) by their nutritional values, adding that the PSQCA has adopted its standard under the Pakistan Standards (PS) 5501, despite that the free trade is not allowed.

Turkey and few other countries are exporting khashkhash and meeting the requirements of the global markets, Thaver said.

The Unisame Council invited the attention of the ministry of commerce and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to take notice of this and remove the discrepancy, saying that they have expressed their inability to take any measures as they are signatories to the convention.

It requested the WFP to consider their request and identify khashkhash on their own merit, and categorise and classify them separately and remove the discrepancy, while informing the WFP that the PSQCA has removed the stigma but their help, support and guidance is required at the international level.

The Union chief believes that many other countries have acted properly and have comprehended the difference between the two types of poppy seeds, allowing free trade of khashkhash and promoting its cultivation and exports.

The Unisame has contacted the WFP on behalf of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) farmers, processors and exporters who are suffering loss of business because of this ambiguity, and expressed hope that the WFP will do the needful and facilitate the SME sector in Pakistan.