Pakistan mango packing

This season's export target for Pakistan-grown mangoes has been comfortably overhauled, according to new data released by the All Pakistan Food and Vegetable Exporters Association.

Figures showed that total exports hit a record 132,000 tonnes by the end of the season, surpassing the target of 124,000 tonnes set by the Pakistan Horticulture Board and exporters prior to the campaign.

The UK and Middle Eastern countries remained the leading importers ofthe fruit, according to the data, helping the country earn foreigncurrency exchange of over US$63m (€42m).

The 8,000 tonne increase on the initial target was a result of a larger crop combined with a more effective marketing strategy, according to a report in the Daily Times.

However, exporters and farmers told the publication that, given the yield of 1.8m tonnes during the season, the final export total was actually 'dissatisfactory', with the country having the potential to export 200,000-300,000 tonnes in the next few years.