Already facing declining exports, the countrys mango exporters have now been hit with the loss of the lucrative Iranian market as a consequence of the trade embargo set upon Tehran by the United Nations. This loss of a key market comes at a time when the export statistics have taken a 15 percent setback against the same period last year and is likely to contribute to the increasing concerns of the Pakistani fruit exporters. Despite being one of the largest mango producers in the world, with an average annual production of 1.8 million tons during the last three years, Pakistan has been unable to convert its production growth into international trade. A significant reason for this has been a lack of appropriate policy interventions staged by the Government which has been unable to realise the great demand for the Pakistani mango into foreign trade, according to Ahmed Jawad, CEO of Harvest Trading. Coupled with the dearth of appropriate treatment and quarantine facilities, the future for Pakistani mango exports remains bleak this season, with only 40,000 tons having been exported to world markets so far. With annual mango production of having previously risen by 2.2 percent over FY10 to 1.9 million tons in 2011, the current yield is forecasted at around 1.6 million tons according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, averaging slightly less than the production trends over the last five years. The changing climatic and economic situation in the country has a leading hand in this production decline added Jawad, who deems it the Governments responsibility to not only function a heftier export mechanism but also crusade for a stronger network between the growers and the end-consumers. Same has been the fate for other fruits, especially kinnow, which has been leading the fruit exports from Pakistan, taking a 34 percent share in the total fruit export during FY11, according to data released by TDAP. However, during last year, 40 percent of the citrus production was lost post-harvest, adds Jawad, mainly due to obsolete harvesting and storage packages, slowing down exports further. However, losses due to inadequate post-harvest treatment facilities are just the beginning of the saga of the kinnow, as the biggest impediment to trade in the international market is the lack of appropriate research endeavours into the development of seedless varieties. Currently, Pakistani Kinnow is mainly exported to the lower end of the market targeting countries such as Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and tapping into the European market will remain unfeasible until newer varieties with fewer seeds are developed. The need for our trade and commerce authorities to assist local producers in tapping into different markets remains imperative at this point. Recently, there has been much ado about the prospective shipments of local mangoes to American markets, however, as local exporters point out, this remains unfeasible as the total shipping costs go up to $22 per two-kilo carton, totally impractical compared to the Mexican imports which cost much cheaper. Amidst rising costs of agricultural inputs and the inefficient allocation of resources within the country, creating a comparative advantage in production of non-traditional commodities and minor crops has taken a back-seat and seems to be of very little concern to policy makers. With the total fruit exported in relation to the total production averaging a meager six percent during the last few years, a great deal of streamlining is required in the avenues of marketing, packaging and transportation for this sector to be able to enjoy healthy growth in the future.
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