Exporters send season’s first mango shipment

400 tons exported to Middle Eastern and European countries.

KARACHI:

Pakistan started exporting mangoes from Saturday as exporters managed to ship 400 tons on the first day of the new season that stretches from May to September.

The mango shipment mostly went to Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar as well as some European countries like the United Kingdom and Germany. Some 70% of the fruit was sent through sea while the remaining 30% was sent via air carriers.

“If all goes well, we hope that we will reach our export target of $60 million this year,” Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Association Chairman Waheed Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “We can achieve this if we continue to receive government support.”

The exporters needed the assistance of airlines, shipping lines and all relevant government departments to achieve the season’s target, he added.

A delegation of the association also met with the federal commerce secretary and top officials of the Trade Development Authority (TDAP) on Saturday to discuss and review arrangements for mango export.

PFVA is targeting to export 175,000 tons of mangoes this year. The fruit will also be sent to new markets like Japan, South Korea and Mauritius.

Traders expect total production of mango to touch 1.55 million tons this year, up from 1 million tons in previous year.

In the first week of May, the Ministry of Commerce set May 25 for the start of mango exports.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2013.

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