PFVA urges ministry to make HWT plants operational

KARACHI: The Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Association (PFVA) has written a letter to the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research, emphasising the urgent need to make approved hot water treatment (HWT) plants operational.

The letter said that the plants were not working, which has led to significant economic losses and unemployment in the country.

According to the PFVA, various issues pointed out by the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) officials visiting the HWT plants have caused delays.

The PFVA said that the DPP’s focus should be on the plants’ primary objective, which was to ensure that processed mangoes were free from fruit flies. The association highlighted that these plants have successfully processed mangoes for export to the European Union (EU) and Iran in previous years without any complaints of fruit flies.

“Due to the non-operational state of the HWT plants, Pakistan has missed out on approximately $44 million in valuable foreign exchange,” the letter revealed.

Moreover, 2,500 skilled and unskilled workers employed in these plants have lost their jobs, while an additional 6,000 labourers working with growers have been negatively affected.

The PFVA further criticized the DPP’s handling of the situation, mentioning that the plants had been audited prior to the mango season and declared satisfactory. However, a new set of complicated and difficult-to-comply-with standard operating procedures (SOPs) were issued, followed by a re-audit, leading to the closure of the plants. The PFVA suggested that the DPP could be favouring someone, making it challenging for all HWT plants to operate.

The letter warned that if the HWT plants remained non-operational, India would take advantage of the situation and secure the confirmed mango export orders, potentially capturing international markets in the future.

In light of the significant economic repercussions and national interests at stake, the PFVA urged the Food Ministry to grant the HWT plants the necessary green signal to operate without any further delay.