Pakistan can earn up to $80m from mango exports

Karachi
Pakistan is the sixth largest mango producer in the world and can easily increase its exports up to $80 million, as compared to $60.7 million it earns now, if proper attention is given to control fruit fly disease, increase the number of hot water treatment plants, vapour heat treatment plants and irradiation facilities required by importer countries.
This is highlighted in a study on mango production and export from Pakistan prepared by a business professor of the Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Dr Mohammad Rizwan-ul-Hassan. It highlights that the competitiveness of mango exports from Pakistan has improved during the last 10 years but the share of export against production do not show any significant improvement because a large part of crop is wasted every year due to lack of proper storage facilities.
The report also points out at the immense potential Pakistan has in mango production since the process requires involvement of large-scale human resources at different stages from production to packaging and export.
It said that expansion in mango export in terms of quantity and value will transform into improving welfare and raising the GDP of the country.
Highlighting the hurdles in mango production and increase in its export, it termed the fruit fly disease to be the major menace which resulted in action of quarantine departments of all major countries.
It said the hot water and vapour heat treatments along with irradiation facilities were the technical measures adopted to tackle the fruit fly disease.
In the case of Pakistan, the study pointed out that there were only three hot water treatment plants and not a single vapour heat treatment plant or an irradiation facility, required by the USA and Japan, respectively, for importing mangoes.
“In the global export market, quality and safety standards pose serious challenges for which concrete policy options in terms of storage, processing, packaging and pricing are needed from the ministry of commerce and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan,” said Hassan. “Some potential markets for mango crop have not been exploited only because of specific quarantine requirements.”
He said major mango markets were UAE, Saudi Arabia, EU, USA, Japan and those countries where there were large numbers of Pakistani expatriates.