Multan Mango Growers Association Multan,Pakistan.

A meeting of high-powered delegation of scientists and agriculture marketing experts from the Department of Agriculture USA was convened in the office of the Multan Mango Growers at 214-215, Metro Plaza, Multan Cantt,it was chaired by Mr Farid Khakwani the senior vice president of MMG. The luminaries in the delegation included senior plant pathologist Dr. Syed Anwar Hussain Rizvi from Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Mr. Rashid Raja of Agriculture Marketing USDA and Mr. Jamshad Waheed of private sector development project called FIRMS. Dr. Rizvi was visiting Pakistan on a fact finding mission to report Pakistan’s readiness for mango exports to US. He has been commissioned to conduct a preliminary phytosanitary assessment of the status of Pakistan’s export program development potential for mangoes. The meeting was attended by a wide cross section of relevant stake holders from MMG membership pool, including exporters, whole sale market leaders and dedicated growers striving for export of this high value crop.

     During this protracted meeting, Dr. Rizvi highlighted the role of APHIS as a Regulatory Body that ensures foreign pests kept away from getting into US. He exhorted the prospective stake holders of mango exports to US to strictly enforce the APHIS regime with due diligence as that was the prerequisite and key to exporting mangoes to US. His queries covered all aspects of mango phases from production regions shown as boldly delineated to pest management, Global-GAP certification, pest surveillance and the role of National Plant Protection organisation, packinghouses and the related activities, refrigeration facilities, exporters list and their organizations, sanitation standards in warehouses and above all the availability of irradiation facilities so critical to export of mangoes to US. Further, the mode of transportation to US was discussed in details and the maritime shipping mode was considered as the most cost effective strategy though the same has yet to be perfected for mangoes.

    Mr. Hayatullah and Agha Habib represented the exporters in active business for the last fifteen years, Mr. Azam Sabri from the whole-sale market, Mr. Saleem Alizai, Maj® Tariq Khan, Nassarullah Tareen, Sajjad Khan,Nawab Mohd Khan and others participated pro-actively in the meeting.

    The meeting adjourned with a note of thanks from Farid Khan Khakwani, the MMG representative in chair.



Contact:

Tariq Kha,
tariqkhanismailzai@yahoo.com
Tel: +92302-8632863
214-215 Metro Plaza
Multan Cantt
 

Publication date: 11/12/2009

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