Mango export target achieved

The country's mango export achieved the target of 80,000 tonnes, registering a substantial decline against the last year's export. The country's total mango export exceeded 100,000 tons in the last season, which was an all time high mango export figures of the country, officials of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) told Business Recorder.
A spokesman of the Board said that abrupt climatic change and untimely rains had affected the production of mangoes, however, the export target was achieved.
Most of the mango found its way into the traditional markets of UAE and Europe, which approximately consumed 37,239 tons and 13,650 tons of mango respectively while the rest going to the other countries. The newly explored market of Iran imported 1,350 tons of the fruit.
Officials expect that mango export could go further high in next season when more mango would be exported to Chinese and Iranian markets, whose vast markets potential could not be exploited due to late start of the export.
The mango production anticipated this year was around 1.6 million tons, and the export target was set at 80,000 tons. But weather vagaries have taken a toll of 20 to 25 percent on the crop in the Punjab, bringing the production down to around 1.3 million tons.
The existing main mango export markets are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UK and Kuwait and new potential markets include China, Iran, South Africa, Australia, Russia, CIS and East Europe.
The PHDEB officials said that the signing of protocols with China and Iran had opened new markets for Pakistan and the positive aspect of these markets as that they were situated close to the country making it easier and cheaper to transport the commodity.
"The fruit is also being exported duty-free, which provides the Pakistani mango a competitive edge in those markets. There are other huge markets that can also be captured. But, in order to do that, the exporters would have to comply with quarantine requirements of those markets adopting quality standards throughout the value chain ie pre- and post-harvest handling of mangoes," he added.
Mangoes from Pakistan are mainly consumed by the Asian communities and sold at small shops and markets. The main retailing is done through super stores, which holds major market share. The immediate strategy is to strengthen the existing market niche through better packaging and marketing efforts and access cargo space.