Export of fruits: government making essential arrangements for access to world market, conference told

Pakistan can be a leading exporter of fruits in the global market but the lack of modern production and processing tools have led to the poor access to international fruits markets.
Zafar Mahmood, Secretary of Ministry of Commerce said while addressing the Second Annual Mango Conference here on Tuesday that Pakistan is now making essential arrangements to have access to the international market regarding export of fruits as the export of kinnows was just $25 million a few years back that has now increased to $100 million.
The conference was organised by USAID and Kanwal Bokharey, Economic Growth Advisor and representative of USAID Firms Project, Farrukh M Khan from USAID Firms Project, Zain-ul Abedin Sayed, a farm owner, Karen Freeman, Senior Deputy Mission Director, and Abdul Ghaffar, Senior Research Officer from Mnago Research Station were among the other participants.
Fakhir Imam said that 21 to 22 percent of the country's GDP depends upon the agriculture sector and 72 percent of the cultivable land is under three major crops like wheat, sugarcane and cotton usually sown by farmers while just 3 percent of the cultivable land is used for the production of fruits.
Fakhir Imam revealed that in 2008, Pakistan produced one and a half million tons of mangoes but exported only 5.4 percent of them. One of the major cost disadvantages Pakistani mango farmers face is the high cost of production due to inefficient and excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers.
Karen said that to get the maximum yield, the health of the plant matters a lot and unfortunately in Pakistan, there was lack of the modern techniques for strengthening the plant health. "We have highest exports of 25,000 tons to United Arab Emirates and second largest buyer is UK but now the country is trying to have access to the European and Australian markets as well", Karen added.
Pakistan's mango sector represents four percent of the world's total production, and contributes $150 million per year to the country's GDP. The USAID Firms Project has estimated that from 2006 to 2015 cumulative opportunity cost of market inefficiency in Pakistan mango exports to be approximately $674 million. In order to realise the true potential of the Pakistani mango sector, the US government has pledged to strengthen this important industry by removing identified constraints and strengthening key mango value chain players.
Pakistan is one of the leading mangoes producers in the world, but less than 5 percent of the commodity is exported. In 2009, USAID initiated its technical and financial assistance to mango farmers in Punjab and Sindh. Partnerships were established with 13 mango farms to build pack houses, processing lines, blast chillers, and cold storage units. The USAID Firms Project has signed Infrastructure Upgrade Agreements (IUAs) with 15 farmers to build pack houses of which 12 have been completed and are operational to date.
Selected mango growers in Punjab and Sindh have increased their exports by more than 60 percent and generated revenues by over $4 million in the past year under the project. Karen said that US government is committed to support the development priorities of Pakistan. The commitment spans over more than 50 years including the introduction of wheat varieties, and kinnow/oranges.
Kanwal Bokharey said that to date, over 2,500 farmers, field workers, and extension workers have benefited from the multifarious training sessions in best farming techniques, continuing to equip them with hands-on farm management practices. The other participants emphasised that the project regularly conducts assessments of its partner mango farms to monitor and evaluate the impact of mango programme activities. It has established 12 complete processing facilities by 2011 with an additional three to be operational by the 2012 mango season.
An increase in sales revenue of project assisted firms was $4.358 million in 2011; representing a growth of 63 percent compared to the previous year. To date, over $1.7 million of private investment has been mobilised through formally engaged firms. As more farmers finalise their contributions, the impact numbers are expected to increase significantly.
Pakistan is one of the top five producers of mangoes in the world, growing over 1.5 million tons annually, but the country struggles to export more than five percent of its production. Lack of infrastructure for post-harvest treatments and inefficient transport facilities result in inconsistent quality of fruit and a shorter shelf life.