President keen on mango exports to Far East

Incentives, seminars being planned for farmers and exporters.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has advised the government to facilitate timely marketing of mangoes and other fruits in Japan and other countries of the Far East after the Japanese government approved the import of Sindhri and Chaunsa varieties of mangoes from Pakistan.

He said that mango growers and exporters should be urgently informed about the decision taken by the Japanese government so they can take appropriate, timely steps for marketing their products in the international market.

President’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, while briefing media on Tuesday, said that the president was keen on diversification of exports with emphasis on Far Eastern countries.

He added that the president has also advised the government to plan an incentive-based policy so that the farmers and exporters could take maximum benefit of exporting mangoes and other fruits to international markets.

Zardari said that past experience has shown that incentive-based policies have yielded very high dividends for economic growth, as was evident from the steep rise in foreign remittances during the last one year, as a result of the incentives given to expatriate Pakistanis.

He also said that the agriculture ministry, in collaboration with other stakeholders, may hold seminars for farmers and exporters to guide them on taking advantage of the opening for exports to Japan. “We have great export potential which needs to be properly channelised,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2011.