The delay in launching Pakistan's first food irradiation plant at Lahore would deprive the country of exporting mangoes to United States this season.
US had indicated interest in importing mangoes from Pakistan provided the quarantine requirements ie pest management at the orchard level and irradiation as post-harvest treatment against fruit fly infestations, met United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.
The orchards and radiation plant were to be inspected and approved by the USDA inspectors. The country could export mangoes to US from May when harvest starts in Sindh to October when it terminates in Punjab.
According to Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), it has set the export target at 130,000 tonnes for the 2008-09 mango season. Besides the traditional markets like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and Kuwait, the high end markets in China, Russia, Germany and East Europe would also be targeted.
A PHDEB spokesman told Business Recorder on Saturday that mango is one of the tropical fruits, which has experienced a tremendous development in recent years. One of the main reasons is shift from air to sea freight with bulk deliveries at competitive prices. Pakistan is the fifth largest producer and the third largest exporter of mango in the world.
Pakistani mango enjoys a prominent position in international market, as its soil and climatic conditions enable production and market supplies of good quality fresh mango over a period of over seven months.
He said that export of mango is constantly rising. The harvest-season of mango as well as its exports start in April and continue up to October. However, mid-May to mid-August is the peak supply period. There are quite a few mango varieties produced in Pakistan, which are appreciated in the international market owing to their attractive colour, fragrance, savouring taste and nutritive value. Akin to production, export of mangoes also exhibited an increasing trend over the years though marked by annual variations linked primarily with crop size. Bulk of mango is exported to Middle East/Gulf 78.4 percent followed by Europe 14.8 percent, Far East 0.7 percent and others 6.1 percent.
Gulf and Saudi Arabia are traditional Pakistan's import markets and thus consume major volume. Besides England, which is the main market in Europe, Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are other important markets. The People Republic of China and Iran are likely to emerge as future prominent markets.
The spokesman said since the improvement in sea cargo handling has encouraged export by sea, export to import markets in close proximity like Gulf and Saudi Arabia has almost shifted from air to sea. Although efforts are underway to extend this facility to distant markets as well, but exports to Europe and Far East are preferred by air.
The PHDEB had set a target of 120,000 tonnes for the export of mango for 2006-07 crop, but the exports crossed 125,000 tonnes, the highest ever mango exports from Pakistan.
Talking about the future expansion of mango exports from Pakistan, he said the PHDEB had carried out trade analysis of mango imports, which showed an increasing trend over the years.
According to FAO statistics US imported 263,354 tonnes of mangoes in 2004 valued at $153 million. The maximum US market share remains with US followed by Mexico 41.0 percent, Peru 18.64 percent, Ecuador 17.23 percent, Guatemala 5.02 percent, and Haiti 3.43 percent. India also has market access but mango imports from India remain very low. The PHDEB spokesman said that unfortunately, frost has badly hit mango crop production pockets in Punjab, which may reduce the national production at least by 15 percent this year. However, it is expected that the overall mango export target would be achieved through improved mango quality through improved ripening techniques and exports to the high-end markets.
The two farms in Punjab (JDW Orchards and Tareen Farms) have already been EurepGAP certified as a result of the intervention of PHDEB, and these are booked by exporters for supply to the international retailers. Further two main farms in Sindh would also be certified with GlobalGAP in the current mango season, which will help export Sindhri mangoes to high price markets.