KARACHI: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) has reminded the government to allow exports of jaggery (gurr) and white food grade poppy seeds (khashkhash), a statement said on Saturday.

The Smeda in a letter to the Ministry of Commerce (Mincom) through the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoI&P) called for expediting and taking up the demand of the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) to allow exports of gurr and khashkhas.

The authority said that both commodities have been declared as food and Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has adopted standards for both the commodities as per international benchmarks.

Unisame President Zulfikar Thaver expressed confidence in the new cabinet and hoped that the Mincom and MoI&P will coordinate and take a positive decision to lift the ban on export of gurr and khashkhash seeds to enable the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) farmers, processors and exporters generate income and improve their farms.

The Unisame Council members expressed surprise at the fact that Turkey is exporting khashkhash and India and China are exporting gurr while Pakistan has banned exports of these commodities depriving the farmers and exporters of earning foreign exchange and modernising their farms with the handsome income.

The SME experts also stressed on the need to increase exports of other geographical indication food items as well by propagating their extraordinary features.