In-focus

Business

Mango export to US may record decline

Dunya News

Pakistan is the fifth largest producer and third largest exporter of Mango in the world.

The US Agency for International Development has spent $3.1 million to help Pakistani mango growers get their fruits ready for export, and the US government has overturned a ban on imports of Pakistani mangoes. But high transportation costs and strict regulations mean that a fewer mangoes are likely to make the transatlantic trip this year, and the USAID project will target European markets instead. “There is little chance of commercial exports of mangoes from Pakistan to the US increasing significantly,” USAID said in a recent document. “Logistics are too costly.” Mangoes have long been used by local politicians to woo voters and by Pakistani leaders to smooth relations with their Indian counterparts. So it’s no surprise that US officials saw opportunities in the king of fruits. Richard Holbrooke, the late special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, had made a habit of eating local mangoes, which he called “the best in the world, without offending other mango producers,” in a veiled reference to Pakistan’s archrival, India, the world’s leading producer of the fruit. Pakistan produces 1,674,000 tons of mangos annually.The United States has done more than speak favorably of the nation’s horticultural pride. Under USAID supervision, 80 Pakistani mango farm owners received training and funding to streamline sorting, washing, packaging and storing processes so that the fruits meet global certification standards. The growers are expected to pay half of infrastructure costs, with US funds covering the rest. Farid Khakwani, who owns a mango farm near the central city of Multan, said that he invested more than $100,000 in his new processing line but that he hopes to recoup the investment with access to new markets. “For growers of my capacity, it was a huge financial undertaking,” Khakwani said. “But I’m glad I did that.”
Related Topics
Multan