KARACHI, June 20: The export of mango this season is likely to fall by 15 per cent because of low production due to virus attack on the crop, but Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), a government organization that looks after the post harvest situation, is not ready to accept any decline in the mango output. There are reports that a disease commonly known as “die back” has severely hit the mango growing areas in Sindh and Punjab, the PHDEB maintains that the situation is good despite problems in the crop.
“Every year there are conflicting reports from different quarters about the size and quality of mango crop. This year, despite some sections expressed their concern, so far there is nothing to suggest any major deviation in terms of volume of the crop,” PHDEB Chief Operating Officer Mohammad Iqbal told Dawn on Monday.
“I still say that the mango production has neither dropped nor exceeded the expectation,” he said, adding “our survey teams have submitted reports of crop damage from various parts of Punjab and Sindh, but the dent is certainly not severe.”
He said that virus attack on crop, natural drop of fruit from the tree, dust storm, weather problems etc., were not new developments it happened every year. “I think the overall crop situation has so far been satisfactory,” Mr Iqbal observed.
Earlier reports suggested a mixed outlook of mango crop like an increase of 15-20 per cent in production this year followed by no change in crop size as of last year or decline of 15-20 per cent as compared to last year. However, it is still unclear whether the mango crop size will exceed from the last year of over one million tons or remain unchanged.
The PHDEB chief had also predicted an increase of 15-20 per cent in mango production in April this year assuming that if every thing remains under control.
The country’s mango production remains 1.1-1.3 million tons every year in which Punjab’s share is 67 per cent.
Mr Iqbal said that the mango exporters’ prediction of fall in exports this year due to various diseases had nothing to do with the overall mango production as hardly 10 per cent of the total output was exported to various foreign destinations.
Of the total mango exports the share of Middle East stands at 60-70 per cent followed by 15-16 per cent to Europe and two per cent to the Far Eastern countries. Exports in 2003-04 stood at 77,000 tons ($23.5 million) as compared to 59,000 tons ($17 million) in 2002-03.
Meanwhile, Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association President Mateen Siddiqui predicted a decline of 15 per cent in mango export this year because of a virus that hit the mango orchards in Punjab and Sindh.
Talking to Dawn he said that many exporters had started exporting immature fruit to various countries particularly to Europe, thus creating bad impression among the Europeans about the quality and taste of Pakistan mango.
He said that the EPB and the Commerce Ministry had not taken any action against the exporters who had sent their shipments 15 days ahead of scheduled date of June 5.
Besides, he added, the government has also not taken any notice about the quality and weight standardization and everybody has been openly given a free hand to export mango which will definitely destroy the country’s image.
