EID seems to have come a month early for Pakistani-Americans. The Pakistani mango has finally made its way to the US, the result of an effort that was reportedly launched in 2006 and involved lengthy negotiations with American authorities and the development of the necessary pest-control expertise and facilities here at home.
A small number of Pakistani growers and packers are now able to meet America`s certification requirements for fruit imports, and the first shipment of chaunsas landed last week in Chicago, where a mango-themed event was held to mark the occasion.
And in true Pakistani style, boxes of mangoes have been sent around — in this case to the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, various members of Congress and other prominent Americans.
Excitement among Pakistani-Americans aside, the development is also an example of successful collaboration between Pakistan and the US that can use diplomacy to achieve tangible results.
Last week`s shipment was the culmination of a sustained effort by people in both countries dedicated to boosting Pakistan`s agricultural exports to the US.
According to Pakistan`s ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, plans to export mangoes had been included in the strategic dialogue with America for the last couple of years, and the late Richard Holbrooke and Ms Clinton were active advocates.
Pakistani producers received USAID assistance to prepare their fruit for export to the US, and technical experts on both sides, including the agriculture ministry here at home, worked to build the required capacity in Pakistan.
There are still challenges: restrictions on import locations and sanitation requirements on arrival mean logistics costs are high, and only the chaunsa variety is currently being exported.
But the combined efforts of Pakistani and American officials have managed to achieve a positive result for Pakistan`s agricul- tural sector, and perhaps even for the US-Pakistan relationship.
