PAKISTANI MANGOES CAN NOT MATCH INDIA PRICING SCHEME ON THE INTERNATIONAL PULP MARKET...

Lower Indian mango prices hit Pakistan

Published: August 23, 2011


USMAN CHEEMA

ISLAMABAD - Political and social unrest in the Middle East and drastic reduction in prices by India have sidelined Pakistan from the international mango pulp market. Weaker policies of Pakistan government are another factor of decreasing export of fruits.

Pakistan is the fourth largest mango producer country in the world after India, China and Mexico. 

Its average annual production of the fruit is 1.7-1.8 million tons, cultivated on an area of 166,000 hectares. 

Punjab occupies a dominant position in producing mangoes with a share of more than 70 per cent followed by Sindh with 20 per cent. 

Chaunsa is the main variety along with Sindhri, Dasehri, Langra, Anwer Ratole and Fajri but what about the international markets? 

“While there is a great international demand for Pakistani mango, there are complaints about quality of the fruit supplied to the export markets.

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Business/23-Aug-2011/Less-Indian-mango-price-hit-Pakistan

GLITCH AT USDA CUT INDIAN MANGO SEASON EARLY THIS YEAR...AS SECOND COMMERCIAL SHIPMENT FROM PAKISTAN SET TO ARRIVE THIS WEEK...CONSUMERS ARE WILLING TO PAY PREMIUM PRICES ($60-$100.00) PER CARTON FOR SUPERIOR FRUIT...

Mangoes at war in US market

Press Trust Of India
Washington, August 21, 2011



First Published: 12:15 IST(21/8/2011)
Last Updated: 12:36 IST(21/8/2011)








Three years after the Indian alphanso landed in the US to the delight of diehard mango lovers, the popular chausa variety from Pakistan has entered American markets this month, leading to cheers from the fruit's fans.

Traders involved in its import concede that this brings an
element of competition between the mango varieties from two countries, though both are facing the problem of high costs and are presently quite far away from the reach of the masses and are not readily available in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores.





Jaidev Sharma, president of Mangozz.com, one of the largest importers of the fruit from India and Pakistan, says that generally mangoes from India have an edge over those from Pakistan.

After the arrival of the first commercial shipment of about 800 boxes of Pakistani chausa early this month, a box of six "chausa" mangoes was quickly taken at an unbelievable premium price of $ 60-$ 100.

In the last few years, the Indian alphanso has been the costliest variety in the US, with a box (weighing about 3 kgs and containing nine to 12 mangoes) being sold this year at $ 40 to $ 80 in the retail market.

Mango importers from Pakistan hope that as the volume of import of chausa increases in the coming years, they would be able to give a stiff challenge to the mangoes from India.

"We hope to give a tough competition to the Indian mangoes," said a Pakistani-origin shopkeeper in the Greater Washington Area, who was one of the lucky few to sell from the first commercial consignment.

All eyes are now set on the second commercial consignment of the variety from Pakistan, scheduled to arrive at the Chicago airport – the port of entry for mangoes – on Thursday, which will be taken to the radiation facility in Illinois a day later.

The consignment is being eagerly awaited by traders here as the import of Indian mangoes this season has ended, giving a field day to chausa for carving its place among those who relish the fruit.

American importers of mango from India were left disappointed when the inspector from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who processes mangoes at the facility near Nasik and issues certification for their export, left India in the third week of June, even before the peak of the mango season in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Indian exporters had been apparently told by the USDA inspector that they could not export varieties of mango other than "alphanso."

This was immediately brought to the notice of APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority) in India and FDA in the US.

By the time the issue to remove restrictions was sorted, the inspector had left the Nasik facility leaving requests from American importers and Indian exporters, that other popular varieties from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal be allowed, to no avail.

Besides alphanso, importers could import the kesar and bangapalli varieties in small quantities.

"Last year we had imported Langra, Chausa and Dussehri Mangoes from India to the US.

But this year, we could not," Sharma, who is now trying to compensate by ordering the import of Pakistani chausa said.

Eagerly waiting for the arrival of the consignment from Pakistan, Sharma, who has been receiving queries from people across the country, said that there is a lot of demand for mangoes from India and Pakistan.

After year of negotiations, the US had lifted its import restrictions on Pakistani mangoes last year and the first shipment arrived this summer.

While the alphanso variety lasts for about a month in April-May, those from Pakistan are available till September end.

In between is the peak time of other variety of mangoes from India like langra, dussehari, kesar and banganpalli.

"So this gives a wide variety and time range to mango lovers in the US," Sharma said.

However, traders from both India and Pakistan face the hurdle of high prices, making it tough to beat the much cheaper mangoes from Mexico, which capture more than 95 % of the American market.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Mangoes-at-war-in-US-market/Article1-735702.aspx

PAKISTANI MANGOES HOPE TO ENJOY THE SUCCESS THAT INDIA HAS WITH THEIR IMPORTS TO THE USA MARKET...

Pakistan's mangoes challenge India in US

Yashwant Raj, Hindustan Times
Washington, August 18, 2011



First Published: 22:33 IST(18/8/2011)
Last Updated: 22:39 IST(18/8/2011)






Three years after India's vaunted mangoes hit US shores, Pakistan is catching up. 

The first commercial shipment of its prized chausas arrived in Chicago last weekend and is now ready for retailing, setting up yet another rivalry.

 It will be retailing at a princely $80-100 for a box of 12, a price market experts believe is determined more by the emotional pull of the fruit than anything: am proud to be a Pakistani, and am just so glad chausas are finally here.



Indian mangoes - led by Alphonsos - started arriving here in 2007 in a deal widely touted as Mangoes-for-Harley Davidsons. The number of Harleys selling in India is still quite low, as are the Alphonsos here.

The first shipment - a sort of trailer - of Pakistani chausas landed two weekends ago to a blustery welcome from the Pakistanis here, led by their embassy. The reception ceremony in Chicago was a packed affair.

Over 95% of the US mango market is dominated by Mexican varieties. 

They are sweet and fleshy but lack the "complex flavours" of Indian mangoes, according to Jaidev Sharma of www.mangozz.com, the number one mango retailer here.

Sharma has been flooded with orders for Pakistani chausas, for now. Speaking for himself, he said, "I can't wait to open the boxes of mangoes lying in the storage area." They are too green now, and he checks on them as often as he can.

Are they better than the Indian mangoes? The jury is out so far, struggling with their patriotism.

A large number of the orders placed online on Sharma's website is from Indians who can't their favourites from India as the mango season there is technically over. For them, the Pakistani chausa will serve.

It's been a long and arduous journey for these chausas before they finally landed here. Two years of "strategic talks" went into it, said Pakistani ambassador Hasnain Haqqani at the Chicago gala marking the arrival of his favourite, and of the rest of his countrymen and women, mango, chausas.

Grown in orchards in Multan, Punjab, these chausas land in Chicago under a strictly controlled trade arrangement between the governments of the two countries and are immediately sent to an Iowa facility for irradiation.

For Indian mangoes, this process happens in India itself, at a facility in Nasik, where a US inspector - but funded by Indian government - check every shipment for compliance to US standards, before it ships.

Pakistan was unable to wangle the same deal because of deteriorating relations with the US. 

No American wants to be stationed in Pakistan given the severity of travel advisories repeatedly issued by the US state department.

That was bureaucratic tangle the two countries sort, especially as relations nosedived following the discovery of Osama bin Laden hiding in plain sight in Abbottabad, a town crawling with Pakistani military past and present.

Some in the Congress demanded - a demand easily conceded by an equally exasperated White House - all aid to Pakistan be linked to its adherence to US guidelines on the war against terror in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

Some Congress members, mostly those considered sympathetic to the Pakistani cause - a speedily dwindling number - were sent boxes from the first shipment, hastily ripened by every means possible.

That's sweet, but sweet enough?

WALL STREET JOURNAL GIVES PAKISTANI MANGOES MAJOR EXPOSURE

By SUMATHI REDDY

It's been a long journey for the king of fruits.

A year after the U.S. lifted a ban on Pakistani mangoes, the first commercial shipment of the prized Chaunsa variety landed in New York over the weekend.


VDaniella Zalcman for The Wall Street Journal

Selling for $80 to $100 for six.


They aren't cheap. Considered among their somewhat biased fans to be the world's tastiest mango, the fruits are selling for $80 to $100 for a box of six after the sole U.S. importer had to get them from Lahore to Chicago, over to Iowa for required irradiation and, finally, to New York.

Meet Abid Butt, president of Food Street Of New York Inc., a Queens-based food importer who has become Mr. Mango in the Pakistani community.

"People were scared to invest the money," said Mr. Butt. "So I decided to become the first one, I took the chance. I don't think I'll be able to cover my investment. I'm expecting a 50% loss. But it gives me satisfaction as a Pakistani-American. It can give pride to the nation and can give aid to the economy."

Mr. Butt imported 2,000 boxes of mangoes and will get weekly shipments until the mango season comes to a close in about a month. He expects the price to drop to $40 a box or so by the season's end, when the transportation logistics will have been worked out.

The mangoes were first unveiled Monday in Jackson Heights and were expected to make an appearance in the Pakistani section of Coney Island Tuesday evening.

A mango party was being planned for Saturday, to which local elected officials—including MayorMichael Bloomberg—will be invited.

"We will go to the mayor's office with a mango box and take a letter requesting him to come," said Mr. Butt.

On Monday a drummer heralded the mangoes' arrival on the streets of Jackson Heights. Kabab King, a 24-hour joint popular among taxi drivers, had already sold eights boxes by the morning. On Tuesday several boxes sat outside of Bombay Chaat, a small restaurant a few stores away from Kabab King, with curious passersby examining them. About eight boxes had been sold, mostly to Mr. Butt's friends.

Online demand has been stronger.

Mr. Butt had sold shipments to distributors in Chicago and California and joined with a New Jersey website, pksweetmangoes.com.

Jaidev Sharma, president of the Chicago-based ZZ Group, the country's largest importer of Indian mangoes, said he had 200 orders for the Pakistani mangoes but could fulfill only two-thirds of that.

Rehaan Iftikhar, a New Jersey resident, ordered mangoes through pksweetmangoes.com. He got his three boxes on Monday. Mr. Iftikhar used to time his annual trips to Toronto—which has been importing the tasty fruits for years—to mango season, not an uncommon tactic for Pakistani-Americans with friends and family in Canada.


VDaniella Zalcman for The Wall Street Journal

Bombay Chaat in Jackson Heights is one of the first places in New York to sell Pakistani mangoes, now that the ban has been lifted.


"Part of the ritual was going for the mangoes," he said. "We'd buy a crate or two and eat them there."

The taste, Mr. Iftikhar and others say, is like no other, a sweet, juicy flavor that Pakistanis can't find words to describe. "To be honest, this is the finest mango in the world," Mr. Butt said. "It's a little hard for them to digest this," he said of the Indian grocery stores in the neighborhood.

Of course, there are those who beg to differ. Indians and Pakistanis frequently lay claim to the best mangoes.

In fact, many of the mangoes grown in both countries are similar or the same varieties. But mango enthusiasts say the fruit tastes differently depending on the soil and climate.

India began exporting mangoes to the U.S. in 2007. Indian mangoes are coveted during the few months they are imported but make a tiny fraction of total imports. It is not one of the six countries that represent 98% of imports. Mexico is the largest exporter to the U.S.

Around the corner from where Mr. Butt was selling his mangoes, Nandu Patel, the manager at the Indian-owned Patel Brothers, balked when told the price. "Nobody will buy for that," he said. "I sell mangoes for $25 to $27 a box."

There was agreement in the store that Pakistan and India were home to the best mangoes. But the consensus was India's were the best.

"Best is Alphonso," said Mr. Patel. Had he ever tried a Chaunsa? "I never had it before," he admitted.

In Coney Island, Asghar Choudhri, a Pakistani-American, was appalled to hear the price. "You can get Mexican here for $10 to $12 a box," he said.

But his friend Amir Iqbal didn't care about the price, he just wanted to know where could he buy one of his beloved mangoes.

"If these are really mangoes from Pakistan, I'm willing to pay that, no problem," said the 27-year-old. "They're really good mangoes, much better than anything else here."

Write to Sumathi Reddy at sumathi.reddy@wsj.com

S B CHAUNSA MANGO HARVEST AT ASSIM AGRICULTURAL FARM PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN IS COUNTING ON CHAUNSA MANGOES TO "SWEETEN" RELATIONS...AT 22 BRIX...THEY MAY VERY WELL DO IT !!!...

Pakistan's mangoes sweeten relations with US


Can a box of mangoes cure all that ails Pakistan and the US? Pakistan hopes so. 


                                                                                                             Aamir Latif                                                                                                                                       August 13, 2011 08:23





A Pakistani fruit vendor sells mangoes in a fruit market in Islamabad on July 4, 2009. (Sajjad Qayyum/AFP/Getty Images)




ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — In the end, it just might be Pakistan’s delicious mangoes that solves all the world’s problems.


At a time when Pakistan and the United States are at serious odds over just about everything, Pakistani officials have begun an unofficial campaign to try and sweeten the bitter ties by, of all things, using the country’s famous mangoes as a peace offering.


Pakistani politicians, worried about the souring relationship between the two allies in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden and continuing drone strikes on Pakistani soil, are shipping boxes of “Chaunsa,” Pakistan’s prized mango, to their counterparts in the United States.

Hussein Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, said he had sent the mangoes to U.S. congressmen and senators to help ease the tension.




 Other politicians have quickly followed suit.




Using mangoes to defray bad relations is an old tradition in Pakistan. The country’s often-competing tribes have long used the succulent fruit to diffuse arguments and to signify a fresh start.

“This unconventional diplomacy shows that Pakistan, despite differences of opinion on various issues, particularly the future of Afghanistan and the presence of C.I.A. operatives on its ground, wants friendly relations with the United States,” said Shamim-ur-Rehman, a Karachi-based political analyst.

The delivery of mangoes, the first shipment of which landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International airport in July, came after the United States lifted a decades-long ban, in place because Pakistan’s mangoes didn’t meet U.S. standards of pest control and postharvest management. With improvements made in the industry, however, the floodgates have opened.




Pakistani mangos have a kind of mythical aura about them. They are sweeter than the Indian or Indonesian mangoes that are typically available in the United States and, as anyone who has had them will say, there is no alternative.



(IMO NOTE: INDONESIA DOES NOT SHIP MANGOES TO THE USA, PERHAPS THE AUTHOR IS REFERRING TO THE PHILIPPINES?)




Mango fans in the United States for years would drive to Toronto in the hopes of buying the Chaunsa mangoes there. Some went so far as to try and smuggle them back over the border.



Other countries have recently lifted their bans on Chaunsa mangoes as well, including Japan. After 16 years, the Pakistani embassy in Japan held a mango party to celebrate the arrival of their precious, and much sought-after, fruit last year.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also a fan and helped spearhead, with the help of USAID, the removal of the ban. In a visit last summer, Clinton lavishly praised the mangoes before announcing that the ban would eventually be lifted. A year later, the first shipment arrived.

Pakistan is the sixth largest mango producing country in the world after India, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico, producing 1.9 million tons annually.

But this so-called “mango diplomacy” is far more than just a symbolic gesture, Pakistanis say. Rehman said it could have far-reaching effects and could be the beginning of a different kind of relationship between the two countries — a shift from an aid-based relationship to a trade-based one.

“This is not a symbolic gesture. This is the start of trade-not-aid relations between the two allies,” he said.

Pakistan has long voiced its desire to forge stronger trade relations with the United States and rely less on its humanitarian aid.

“It (the lifting of the mango ban) will not only strengthen trade relations between the two countries, but will also pave the way for the exportation of other commodities, such as textiles,” Rehman said.




Already fraying ties between Pakistan and the United States touched bottom after the U.S. raid on bin Laden’s hideout inside Pakistan in May. The last few months have been characterized by a series of tit for tat responses and public denunciations from high-level officials on both sides.


Pakistan deported a number of C.I.A. officers and partially retook control of a base being used by the United States to launch its drones earlier this year. The U.S. then reacted by cutting $800 million in military aid. Most recently, Pakistan said it was going to limit the ability of U.S. ambassador, Cameron Munter, and other officials to travel freely around the country. But Pakistan appears to have backed down after the United States threatened to the same thing.
“At a time when the two sides are struggling to revive their traditional diplomatic ties, this [mango diplomacy] could be a good omen,” Rehman said


http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/pakistan/110812/pakistans-mangoes-sweeten-relations-us

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