Pakistan's mango grower-shippers are expecting a significant increase in their export volumes this season after the Japanese government agreed to lift its ban on Pakistani mango imports, reports The Daily Times.
Japan’s Trade Minister Tashihiro Nikai made the announcement last Thursday at a meeting with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari. Mr Nikai told President Zardari the Japanese government would facilitate the import of mangoes from Pakistan through the private sector, and that a delegation of mango experts would visit Pakistan “soon” to remove all hurdles in this respect.
The move comes as particularly welcome news to Pakistan’s mango shippers since they have faced declining export volumes in recent years due to crop failures, the paper said.
Exporters claimed that Japan’s decision to lift its Pakistani mango import ban was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Pakistani fruit exporters and Pakistan’s government.
Former Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables Exporters chairman Mateen Siddiqui told The Daily Times that never before had Pakistani mangoes been able to penetrate the Japanese market owing to its strict international standards.
Pakistan’s major mango export markets comprise the Middle East, parts of Europe and some Asian countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
But Mr Siddiqui told the paper that Pakistani mango exports had fallen in recent years on account of multiple factors including crop failures across large growing areas in Sindh and Punjab provinces.
Last year, mango exports reached a feeble 80,000-90,000 tonnes, down on 2007 when export volumes peaked at 1.1m tonnes, he said.
Pakistan’s annual mango yield is typically 2m-2.5m tonnes, of which just 5-7 per cent is exported, Mr Siddiqui said.
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