Australia has finally announced the commencement of a non-regulated analysis of existing policy for import of mangoes from Pakistan. Australia will send a team to Pakistan this month for the verification of the data provided by Pakistan. The team would also have inspection of farms and production areas, as the foreign country wants to import mango this year, sources told Business Recorder on Monday.
As Australia has allowed the import of mango from Pakistan after realising that the issue of mango quarantine and pest issue was also same in India, Taiwan and the Philippine from where the foreign country has allowed the import of fruit, sources added. However, Australia wanted to remove the quarantine issue before starting the import of mango from Pakistan, they said.
The Australian team would visit VHT plant in Karachi and irradiation plant in Lahore, beside the production areas and farms in Multan, Sadiqabad and Interior Sindh to verify that whether these plants were working well. According to the sources Pakistan soon after getting the confirmation from its foreign office in Australia has also invited the team to inspect the quarantine plant and other processes.
Sources said that through a letter to Pakistani Counsel General in Australia they had informed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) that it was important to ensure the visit of Australian team to the country during this mango season, by May or June 2010.
This move, which came from the foreign country on March 17, 2010, has saved the 30 months of the process and if all went well, the import from Pakistan could be started during this mango season, sources claimed. They said this would be followed by request for expeditious carrying out of import risk analysis for apples, citrus and dates. Similar request has also been made for seafood.
The developments were the outcome of the second round of Pakistan-Australia Joint Trade Committee's (JTC) meeting held in Islamabad in February 2010. It is worth mentioning here that an Australian delegation had held the second Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting with officials from the Ministry of Commerce. The first meeting of the JTC was held in Cairns, Australia, in 2006, where both countries discussed avenues of bilateral economic and trade co-operation.
The second JTC had discussed a number of requests by Pakistan for entering to the Australian market, and co-operation in energy and agriculture sectors, including the successful Agriculture Sector Linkages Programme. The two sides had also discussed a various options to help boost two-way trade and investment. Besides, it was also decided in the meeting that the JTC would meet every year to improve bilateral trade.