KARACHI: Acute water shortage causing 35 percent fall in mango production this year, as well as global warming and comparatively smaller size of the fruit are the major bugbear of exporters this season.
Mango orchards in some Sindh districts – such as Hyderabad, Tando Allah Yar, and Mirpurkhas districts – are likely to bear the brunt of acute water shortage. It is more or less the same for Punjab where in Muzaffargarh, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, and Shujabad districts the overall mango production is anticipated to be less by as much as between 30-50pc.
Apart from lower production, the smaller size of the Pakistani mangoes is also causing great concern to exporters, said Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of All-Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA).
Due to increase in demand and significant supply shortages this year, the wholesale price of mango is expected to increase by nearly 25 percent, from Rs2,400 to Rs3,000 per 40 kg.
Due to relatively longer winter season in different mango growing areas, production has been badly hit, said Waheed. The mangoes, he added, have been attacked by new diseases that have contributed to lower production.
With foreign shipments commencing from May 20, 2018, for the ongoing year, the exporters have set the mango export target at 100,000 tonnes
Waheed noted: “Utilisation of the CPEC for mango exports to China for the first time and rupee devaluation against the dollar may provide some windfall.
“Queries are coming thick and fast from the Chinese buyers and hopefully 500-1,000 tonnes may be shipped across the Khunjerab Pass to China this year. This can emerge as a big market for Pakistani mango once it’s fully developed where 20,000 tonnes of mango could be exported easily. Another 150 tonnes of mango is likely to be exported to Japan,” added Waheed.
Mango exports, he said, would fetch around $100 million this season by meeting the export target of 100,000 tonnes.
He recalled, there was 50pc reduction in mango production last year due to which export target was curtailed to 81,000 tonnes.
He said, people of the Gulf countries, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and various European countries would enjoy Pakistani mangoes this year at a time when Ramazan is in full swing.
Mango promotions in China, Maldives, and European countries would be held during this year to further enhance of export of mango, he said.
Iran is also an important buyer, however due to unprecedented devaluation of Iranian currency, the exporters are not expecting to get good return for value of their export, he said.
The PFVA has been intensely demanding for many years to initiate research and development for effective handling the menace of global warming on the horticulture sector but it’s unfortunate that so far no serious attempt has been made by the government.
“Shifting the agriculture sector to the provinces through the 18th Amendment has not yielded the desired results for lack of coordination among the provinces,” he said.
