About Kohenoor International — Pakistan's Premier Seed Exporter Since 1957

Our Story: From Hyderabad to the World

The story of Kohenoor International begins in 1957, in the bustling trading quarters of Hyderabad, Sindh — Pakistan's second-largest city in Sindh province and a historic centre of commerce on the banks of the Indus River. In those early years of Pakistan's independence, Hyderabad was establishing itself as a hub for the agricultural trade that would become central to the nation's economy.

Our founders recognized a fundamental opportunity: the rich agricultural lands of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan produced seeds, herbs, and spices of exceptional quality, yet access to international markets was limited by a lack of export infrastructure, quality standardization, and international trade relationships. Kohenoor International was established to bridge this gap — to bring the agricultural bounty of Pakistan to the world market with the quality assurance, documentation, and reliability that international buyers demanded.

In the early decades, the business focused on seeds indigenous to the Sindh region — sesbania (dhaincha), which grew abundantly in the Indus floodplain, along with sesame, castor, and local herb varieties. These products found ready markets in neighbouring countries and, gradually, across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Each successful shipment built the company's reputation for reliability, each satisfied customer opened doors to new markets, and each decade brought expansion in both product range and geographic reach.

By the 1980s, Kohenoor International had established itself as one of Pakistan's premier agricultural exporters, with a growing network of buyers across three continents. The 1990s and 2000s saw dramatic expansion into African and American markets, driven by growing global demand for tropical legume seeds, moringa products, and organic herbs and spices. Today, Kohenoor International serves buyers in more than 70 countries, from multinational agricultural corporations and government procurement agencies to individual farmers and research institutions.

A Family Legacy of Agricultural Excellence

Kohenoor International remains a family-owned enterprise, with successive generations bringing new capabilities while preserving the founding values of quality, integrity, and personal service that distinguish our company from larger, impersonal commodity traders.

This family continuity provides something rare in the modern agricultural trade: genuine long-term relationships with our customers. Many of our international buyer relationships span decades, with the children and grandchildren of our original customers continuing to source from Kohenoor International today. We know our customers by name, understand their specific requirements, and treat every order — whether 500 kg or 500 MT — with the same attention to quality and detail.

The family ownership structure also enables us to take a long-term view of our business that publicly traded corporations cannot: we invest in farmer relationships, processing capacity, and quality systems based on what will serve our customers well over the coming decades, not merely the next quarterly earnings report.

Key Milestones in Our Journey

Our Product Portfolio

Kohenoor International's product range spans the full breadth of Pakistan's agricultural export potential. While sesbania seeds remain our flagship product — and the foundation on which our international reputation was built — our portfolio has expanded over six decades to serve diverse market needs across the agricultural, food processing, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors.

Sesbania Seeds — Our Flagship

Sesbania is where Kohenoor International began, and it remains our deepest area of expertise. We supply three primary species, each serving distinct market applications:

Moringa Seeds and Products

Moringa oleifera — the "miracle tree" — represents our fastest-growing product category. Pakistan's Sindh and southern Punjab provinces produce moringa of exceptional quality, and Kohenoor International supplies both moringa seeds (for planting) and moringa leaf products (for the nutritional supplement and food industries) to markets across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

• Moringa seeds (PKM-1, PKM-2, and local varieties): For plantation establishment, reforestation, and ornamental use. High germination rates, cleaned and graded to export standards.
• Moringa leaf powder: Shade-dried, milled, and packaged for the nutritional supplement industry. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• Moringa oil seeds: Selected for oil extraction, supplying the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.

Alfalfa Seeds

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) — known as "Lucerne" in many markets — is one of the world's most important forage crops. Pakistan produces several high-performing alfalfa varieties suited to both temperate and subtropical growing conditions. Kohenoor International supplies alfalfa seed to livestock producers, dairy operations, and forage crop distributors across the Gulf States, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Herbs and Spices

Pakistan's diverse agro-ecological zones produce herbs and spices of outstanding quality. Our herb and spice portfolio includes:

Dried Flowers

Pakistan's floral diversity supports a growing dried flower export industry. Kohenoor International supplies dried roses, marigold, jasmine, and chrysanthemum to markets in Europe, the Gulf States, and East Asia for use in the fragrance, cosmetics, herbal tea, and decorative industries.

Oil Seeds

Our oil seed portfolio includes sesame (white and black varieties), castor seeds, rapeseed/canola, and sunflower seeds — sourced from established farming communities across Sindh and Punjab. These products serve the edible oil, industrial oil, and biofuel sectors in our destination markets.

Quality Assurance and Certifications

Quality is not a department at Kohenoor International — it is a philosophy embedded in every stage of our operations, from farmer selection and crop monitoring through harvest, processing, testing, packaging, and shipping. In an industry where product integrity directly affects our customers' agricultural outcomes, we accept no compromise on quality.

Seed Quality Standards

Every seed consignment processed at our Hyderabad facility is tested against rigorous quality parameters:

Export Documentation

Every international shipment from Kohenoor International is accompanied by a comprehensive documentation package that meets the import requirements of destination countries worldwide:

• Phytosanitary Certificate: Issued by Pakistan's Department of Plant Protection (DPP), certifying the consignment is free from regulated pests and diseases. Required by all importing countries under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
• Certificate of Origin: Issued by the relevant Chamber of Commerce, certifying Pakistani origin for customs and preferential trade agreement purposes.
• Fumigation Certificate: Where required by the destination country, certifying that the consignment has been treated with approved fumigant (typically methyl bromide or phosphine) to specified standards.
• Laboratory Analysis Report: In-house and/or third-party laboratory report documenting purity, germination rate, moisture content, and seed health results for the specific consignment.
• Commercial Invoice and Packing List: Detailed commercial documentation specifying product description, quantity, weight, packaging, and value.
• Bill of Lading / Airway Bill: Shipping documentation for sea freight or air freight consignments.
• Country-Specific Documentation: Additional documentation as required by specific destination countries (e.g., BICON import permits for Australia, USDA APHIS requirements for the USA, NAQS clearance for Nigeria).

Processing Facilities and Operational Capabilities

Kohenoor International operates seed processing and export preparation facilities in Hyderabad, Sindh — strategically located within Pakistan's primary seed-growing region and approximately 160 km from the Port of Karachi, Pakistan's largest and busiest seaport.

Seed Processing Operations

Our processing facility handles the full seed preparation workflow from raw harvest intake to export-ready packed product:

Logistical Infrastructure

Our location in Hyderabad provides significant logistical advantages for agricultural export:

• Port Access: 160 km to Karachi Port (Pakistan's primary container port) and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim — connected by the national motorway with transit time under 3 hours.
• Agricultural Hinterland: Direct access to Sindh's major agricultural districts (Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta, Nawabshah, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas) where sesbania, moringa, sesame, and other export crops are grown.
• Freight Forwarding: Established relationships with leading freight forwarding companies and shipping lines operating from Karachi, providing competitive freight rates and reliable sailing schedules to all major global trade routes.
• Customs and Documentation: Experienced export documentation team managing the full compliance process — customs clearance, phytosanitary inspection, origin certification, and banking documentation (LC, DA, TT).

Global Export Capabilities

Kohenoor International exports to every inhabited continent, with particularly strong market positions in the regions where tropical and subtropical agricultural seeds are in highest demand.

Our Global Reach

Trade Terms and Payment Methods

We offer flexible trade terms to accommodate the diverse needs of our international customer base:

• Incoterms: FOB Karachi, CFR (destination port), CIF (destination port), and Ex-Works Hyderabad. The most common arrangement is CIF to the buyer's nearest container port.
• Payment Terms: Irrevocable Letter of Credit (L/C) at sight for new customers. Documents Against Acceptance (DA), Documents Against Payment (DP), and Telegraphic Transfer (TT) terms available for established customers with demonstrated payment history.
• Minimum Order Quantity: 500 kg for most products. Full container loads (18-26 MT) for maximum cost efficiency. Sample quantities (1-5 kg) available by air freight for quality evaluation.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

Vision

Our Core Values

Sustainability Commitment

Sustainability is not a corporate buzzword at Kohenoor International — it is a practical reality embedded in the nature of our core products and the way we conduct business. When your primary product is a nitrogen-fixing legume that restores degraded land, builds soil organic matter, and reduces dependency on synthetic fertilizers, sustainability is not an add-on — it is your business model.

Sustainable Agriculture through Sesbania

Every tonne of sesbania seed we export contributes to sustainable agricultural outcomes in its destination country:

• Nitrogen Fixation: Sesbania fixes 100-300 kg of atmospheric nitrogen per hectare, replacing 200-650 kg of synthetic urea fertilizer — reducing both farmer input costs and the carbon footprint of nitrogen manufacturing (the Haber-Bosch process accounts for approximately 1.5% of global CO2 emissions).
• Soil Carbon Building: Sesbania green manure adds 5-15 tonnes of organic matter per hectare, sequestering 1-4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in improved soil organic carbon stocks.
• Land Restoration: Our sesbania seeds are used globally for mine site rehabilitation, bioremediation of contaminated soils, and agroforestry establishment — directly contributing to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration goals.
• Reduced Chemical Dependency: Sesbania-based organic farming systems reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, protecting water quality, biodiversity, and human health.

Responsible Sourcing Practices

Our farmer relationships, built over decades, are founded on fair pricing, transparent grading, and reliable purchasing. We work directly with farming communities in Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan — eliminating intermediaries that reduce farmer income — and provide agronomic guidance on crop management, post-harvest handling, and quality optimization. This direct sourcing model ensures both product quality and farmer livelihood sustainability.

Packaging and Logistics

We continuously optimize our packaging and logistics operations to minimize environmental impact: using recyclable multi-wall paper bags, maximizing container load efficiency to reduce per-tonne shipping emissions, and maintaining compact supply chains from farm to port (all within a 300 km radius in most cases). Our proximity to Karachi Port — one of the most fuel-efficient container ports on the Asia-Middle East-Africa trade routes — provides inherently lower shipping emissions compared to competitors located further from major port facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kohenoor International

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