Pakistan exported a record 1,27,000 tons mango this year fetching 6.1 dollars valuable foreign exchange. The previous record of mango export of the country was 1,20,000 tons. According to `Hortimag` a newsletter of Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC), last year only 70,000 ton mangoes were exported.
One of the reasons which has contributed to this record breaking feat has been 25 percent increase in average export price over last year. According to Abdul Wahid, Chairman, Fruits and Vegetables Exporters` Association, new markets like China and Jordan, along with traditional markets of Gulf countries played a role in helping Pakistan cross the target.
Although mango season ended on September 15, final figures are still being tabulated and it is hoped that final figures may show a total figure of 132,000 tons exported during the season. Better price in the world market this year help increase the volume. `Last year, the average export price was around Rs 30 per kilogram, which went up to Rs 40 this year showing an increase of 25 percent,` he said.
Since shipments to the European countries by sea have also started, it would help export of Pakistani mangoes in a big way from next season, Wahid said. `Pakistani fruit and vegetables have huge potential in foreign markets and exporters must take advantage of the situation by adopting international standards. The government should also help by creating infrastructure like pack houses, modern grading facilities and common facility centres.`
Exporters have already requested the government to create a common mango facility centre at Karachi and exporters` delegation would soon meet federal minister for commerce to apprise him of the situation. In a meeting of fruit exporters held at PHDEC last month it was disclosed that export of mango both by sea and air was over 100,000 tons.
A substantial volume of mango via land route had also been exported. Exporters were generally satisfied with mango business this year. However, Zulfiqar, a leading exporter to UK expressed concern over the increasing number of consignments rejected by DEFRA due to fruit fly infestation.
The participants stressed the need to focus on control over the fruit fly and other quality issues as these have emerged as major obstacles in increasing exports. They urged PHDEC to conduct awareness and capacity building programs for all stakeholders of mango trade for transfer of knowledge about best practices and international compliances.
A.Q.Khan, who has mango hot water treatment facility approved by the Jordanian government, informed that his mango consignments sent to Jordan first time had been very much appreciated there. His company plans to set up another hot water treatment plant to accept consignments from other exporters for processing in the next season. Post-harvest infrastructure like pack houses equipped with hot water treatment facility of mango, cold storage, irradiation facility etc should be developed by the government through public-private partnership in order to enhance exports.
Meanwhile as part of its initiative to support industrial development through innovative methods, the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) is poised to expand its `matching grant` operations with new projects, including Mango Packing House (MPH) at Multan. According to CSF, the MPH a joint effort of CSF and Progressive Mango Growers Group (PMGG), will be set up for processing and packing of fresh mangoes for export to Europe and US.
According to the plan, a blast chiller and clod storage facility will be established at the site where mangoes will be treated to improve their quality and shelf-life before shipping them abroad. Pakistan produces over 1.6 million tons of mangoes annually. Despite this, currently there is no proper facility for washing, de-sapping, grading and removal of field heat from mangoes. The MPH, the first of its kind in Pakistan would not only help boost mango export but would also be used for processing of citrus and fresh vegetables.
The purpose of matching grant is to provide co-financing for a project which is innovative and increases efficiency through lower cost, high output and better quality and generates jobs. Currently 10 projects are running countrywide. It is estimated that over 11,000 jobs would be generated through these projects, 6,000 for men and 5,000 for women. The CSF has invested 1.051 million dollars in these projects, which would bring in new investment of 10.47 million dollars.
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