Measures to boost mango exports
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce in consultation with stakeholders has agreed to take several measures for promotion of mango exports.
After extensive discussions at a virtual meeting held on Saturday and chaired by Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood, it was agreed that the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will examine all the legal issues for operationalising the already-imported Vapour Heat Treatment Plant, presently lying at the Expo Centre Karachi.
Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Association (PFVA) chairman Waheed Ahmad, farmers and exporters of mangoes also participated in the meeting.
It was also agreed that the ministry will focus on exploring new markets and obtain tariff concessions for the export of mangoes. Dawood advised the TDAP to double its efforts for marketing mangoes abroad.
It was decided that cold storage areas would be established at airport and shipping ports, besides the Ministry of Aviation and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will be approached for reserving a dedicated area for mango consignments. Also the CAA will be asked to install bigger scanners for consignments instead of loading and unloading small crates.
It was also agreed that the establishment of a Mango Development Council will be explored which will have representation from all stakeholders, including farmers, traders, cool chains representatives, research institutes, etc.
The meeting also discussed in detail all bottlenecks being faced by mango growers and exporters. The main issues identified were meeting the compliance requirements, high freight charges, lack of cold storage facilities at the airports, and insufficient water/vapour treatment facilities.
After a brief presentation by the Agro Wing of Commerce Division, the participants noted that mangoes export was maintaining a positive trajectory and the fruit now getting better prices as compared to previous years.
The export increased to $104 million in 2019-20 from $78m the previous year.
Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2020