Pakistan achieves mango export target this season
By Tanveer Sher
KARACHI: While mango export season has come to an end, Pakistani fruit exporters can take the pride of accomplishing set goals of more than 150,000 metric tonnes during the current year, boosting their morale and spirits for the coming years to set higher targets.
It may be recalled here that mango export season had taken off from May and it continued until August during which large quantity of the fruit was also dispatched to new markets for sampling and seeking new orders for next season.
The expected mango yield during the current season had been anticipated to be in the range of 1.6 to 1.8 million tonnes and out of this huge quantity, the target of 150,000 tonnes appeared inadequate as indicated by most of the exporters, who blamed on lack of marketing in foreign markets and not enough support at the government level to help raise export target to a substantially higher level.
Currently the major exporting variety of mango includes Sindhri and Chaunsa from Sindh and a different variety of Chaunsa from Punjab, which has a huge fan following in international markets.
Major mango importing countries include Afghanistan, Iran and all Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, UAE besides European countries Sweden, Denmark, U.K. France and some of the Far Eastern countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
All Pakistan Vegetable and Fruit Exporting Association Chairman Abdul Wahid informed the scribe that despite export of large quantity of illegal export of mango to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian States through open truck, achievement of the current goal deserves appreciation.
He said recent approval of installation of Vapour Treatment Plant in Pakistan following approval by the Export Development Fund (EDF) would go a long way in enhancing demand of Pakistani fruit specially mango.
The plant would not only eliminate the menace of fruit fly from Sindhri and Chaunsa but also improve quality of the fruit, raising its demand in new markets across the globe.
The plant would not only eliminate the menace of fruit fly from Sindhri and Chaunsa but also improve quality of the fruit, raising its demand in new markets across the globe.
Besides Japan, which has agreed to import Pakistani mango, had also made it mandatory for processing the fruit through VHT before the commencement of export process.
Wahid said Japan is regarded as lucrative and rewarding market for exporters and they are anticipating massive orders from next year onwards after the installation of VHT equipment in Pakistan.
Earlier Pakistani mangoes, famous world over for their sweetness and taste, were unable to penetrate Japanese market owing to strict International standard followed globally especially sanitary practices to prolong shelf life of the fruit.
