Pakistan’s mango sales and export revenues have grown by US$43m over the last four years thanks to US government-funded international development project, USAID Firms.
The project, which started in 2009 and provides technical and financial support to Pakistan’s mango growers in a bid to boost their business, facilitated an export value growth of 44 per cent in 2013 compared to 2009, USAID said.
Project-supported mango farms and processors exported US$9.2m worth of mangoes last year, and total mango revenues from partner farms equalled US$21.8m, USAID said.
“The project is going well,” said USAID Firms Project value chain specialist Umair Piracha. “It has made a tangible difference to Pakistan’s mango exports. Last mango season partner farms exported a lot to Europe and other countries under the scheme.”
The project, which is due to end at the close of this year, helps farmers maximise yields, improve product quality and implement better handling and packaging techniques to reach new high-value export markets, explained Yasir Shaikh of Imtiaz Enterprises, one of the grower-exporters involved in the scheme.
Through the scheme, the USAID hopes to stimulate job growth and investment in vulnerable areas in Pakistan, in a bid to undercut the basis of anti-Western extremism.
As well as fresh mango exports, the USAID Firms project is this year working to boost dried mango, mango pulp and date exports from Pakistan to Europe.
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