South Africans interested in importing Pakistani mangoes

A five-member delegation of fresh fruit dealers and a plant pathologist from South Africa have arrived in Multan to meet the members of Mango Growers Association Pakistan. The delegation is accompanied by Shamoon Sadiq, CEO of PHDEB, Ministry of Commerce. Addressing the meeting of South African delegation, comprising Valdy Jensen, Nino Burelli, Imraan Moerat, Stuart Symington and Christo Botha Shamoon said that Pakistani mango has a very unique taste and flavour and is liked by connoisseur and common people but it lacks attractive shelf appeal. He said that Pakistan mangoes are mostly being sold on street corners.
He said that SA and Pakistan have different mango seasons; hence it is possible to export each other's varieties.
Fanus Swart, a plant pathologist in the SA delegation, showed slides depicting various diseases of mango and advised the growers to enhance their agriculture practices by use of technology. He said that all interventions required for mango production should be backed with authentic laboratory findings and premeditated agriculture activity should be undertaken.
Addressing the meeting the President of Mango Growers Association thanked the delegation for visiting the 'Mango City' of Pakistan. He said that it is true that "we were unable to achieve the desired export potential in spite of our growers producing world class mango, but things have begun to change now. Multan will soon have a modern mango export processing zone equipped with hydro cooling and quarantine compliance facilities and a fully functional cargo complex at Multan airport to handle palletised perishable."
He said that the government is now alive to the problems of mango growers "and we can now safely embark" on value-added export". He said that there is need to share research findings between the two mango producing countries.
Shamoon Sadiq, CEO of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board said that PHDEB has done homework to enhance value-added export of horticulture produce. He said that there has been rise in export of Kinoo, and with added facilities in Multan and signing of MOUs with China and Iran "we will certainly enhance our mango export".
The delegation later visited the mango orchard of MGA member Major Zahid Ali Bukhari.
Those present in the meeting were Muzaffar Hayat Khakwani, Khizer Abbas Bukhari, Ghulam Fareed Khakwani, Saleem Khan Alizai, Mehr Maqbool Jangla, Muhammad Khan Sadozai, Junaid Khan Tareen, and Malik Mushtaq.