PHDEB to open liaison office in Multan

Shamoon Sadiq Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Board (PHDEB), Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan said that PHDEB would shortly open a liaison office in Multan and will establish a Mango Export House with grading and packing facilities for exporters for value-added export of mango from Multan.
Presiding over a meeting of fruit exporters from Lahore/Karachi and members of the Mango Growers Association (MGA) to evolve Mango Export Marketing Strategy for ensuring mango crop, in the local hotel on Thursday.
CEO PHDEB said that this meeting is being held to facilitate growers and exporters linkage for a high performance export of Mango. He said that such interaction in export of citrus crop has paid dividends as both the growers and exporters are contented as joint stakeholders.
He urged the members of the Mango Growers Association to adopt latest technology to produce disease free and fruit fly free mango, which is the mandatory requirement of international quarantine laws.
Shamoon Sadiq further said that PHDEB has planned to target new markets in Russia, China, Iran and Korea and hold mango exhibitions this year and have plans to take delegation of mango growers and exporters to India to observe the interventions being undertaken in this world largest mango producing country.
Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi, President of the MGA said that Pakistan though being an agrarian country, suffered for almost half a century due to willful neglect of this sector as such the growers and farmers have almost reached the verge of collapse.
He said that PHDEB has at least endeavoured to identify the bottlenecks and problems of the mango growers and if the priorities remained unchanged not only the mango growers and exporters will feel relieved but Pakistan will also qualify as the world class quality mango producing country.
Reputed mango and other fruit exporters from Karachi Rana Muhammad Sadiq, Arsalan Rabbani, Jallal Akbar and Syed Zahid Ali in their address assured the members of MGA to work together in promotion of mango export.
An export promotion consultant Saeed Akhter briefly gave an over view of mango production and export in China and India.
The chief operation officer PHDEB Muhammad Iqbal stated different steps to be taken by PHDEB for promotion of mango export and distributed sample Fruit Fly Traps amongst the mango growers.
The meeting was also attended by Malik Basheer Ahmed Awan, Major Syed Zahid Ali Bukhari (Retd), Muzaffar Hayat Khan Khakwani, Syed Khizer AbbasBukhari, Malik Muhammad Ali Khokhar, Mehr Maqbool Jangla, Malik Faisal Hassan, Shujauddin Alizai, Nasiruddin Khan, Junaid Khan Tareen, Muhammad Saleem Khan Alizai, Muhammad.
Sarfraz Bhatti, Haji Akram Arian, Mian Shaukat Hussain, Syed Dabir Ali, Malik Nazar Ahmed Raan, Malik Mushtaq, Malik Fahim and Qamar Zia.