Pakistan: Better marketing, packaging essential for mango exports

Pakistan is one of the largest mango producers in the world. Its average annual production of the fruit is 1.7-1.8 million tons, cultivated on an area of 166,000 hectares. “While there is a great international demand for Pakistani mango in all seven continents, but there are complaints about quality of the fruit supplied to the export markets. That’s why price of Pakistani mango in international market is low,” says Ahmad Jawad CEO Harvest Tradings.

USA’s mango imports are the highest (43.2 percent) in the world. China, Hong Kong, Netherlands, UAE, France, Malaysia, UK and Saudi Arabia, Germany and Singapore are other major importers of the highly demanded fruit.

85 percent of Pakistani mangoes are shipped to Dubai and take their way into consumer markets of GCC countries, Iran and Middle East. The United States of America is the world’s largest importer of this Asian product. Pakistani mangoes have to compete with India at every front, from bulk orders to super markets racks.

"Now it is time to explore new avenues of mango exports across the world and display the ideal profile of our product that is simply the best globally. We need to revamp the entire export system by eliminating unnecessary stakeholders from the race. This will surely improve our market competitiveness abroad.

It is also suggested that Government needs a direction to approach our strategic partner, the United Stated of America, which is the biggest buyer of Asian mangoes, to facilitate our mango product in the country’s huge market through proper way with relaxing in the policies and procedures for 2012. Approximately 2800 kilograms of mangoes were shipped to the US for this ceremony, costing the exporters more than $50,000.

Moreover, we must diversify focus towards Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore in the Asia and the Netherlands, France, U.K, Germany and Australia for enhancing mango exports from Pakistan as well as provide facilities like proper grading and packaging system and cool chain system from farm to air/sea ports at our homeland. Similarly Growers should also be encouraged with necessary facilities to export mango themselves."

Source: www.thenews.com.pk