The government has extended the date on which mango export is to begin to May 25 instead of mid-May keeping in view the delay in season owing to global warming.
According to a notification of the Ministry of Commerce, local exporters will be able to begin their export from May 25.
In this regard, a former Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) official as quoted by a local media outlet, said that one reason for the delay was that when the date was earlier, the exporters were tempted to resort to different artificial methods of mango ripening, which in the long term could hurt the credibility of Pakistan.
Pakistan produces around 1.9 million tonnes of mangoes while it exports around 120,000 tonnes. Although it expects to export more as it has gained access to the Chinese market, the fruit is not priced competitively in the Chinese market due to a high cost of air freight.
