Mango exports to fetch $75mln this year

KARACHI: Pakistan has set mango export target at 100,000 tons for this season eyeing to earn $75 million foreign exchange, a statement issued by All Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Exporters, Importers and Merchants (PFVA) said on Monday. 

Last season, the country exported 72,000 tons of mangoes—the lowest level over the last five years. The exporters had fixed 100,000 tons target for 2015 season.    

Dispatching of mango export shipments would start from May 20. 

The association’s chairman Waheed Ahmed said the production of mongo is expected to reach close to160,000 tons during this season due to improvement in production amid better weather conditions. 

Ahmed said that mango growers experienced a 40 percent decline in production owing to unfavourable weather in mango growing belts in Sindh and Punjab.    

He also informed that fruit exporters would again not be able to access high value markets of Japan this year due to not meeting its standards. 

The Japanese trade authorities have mandated for the tropical fruit exports to go through strict plant quarantine inspections in the importing country to ensure that quarantine pests are present in fruits are sterilised.

A vapor heat treatment is a method for such a treatment.  

Almost three years have been passed, but exporters have not installed vapor heat treatment plant to ensure sterilisation of the fruit.