KARACHI: The stern warning by the European Union (EU) that it would ban mango imports from Pakistan if five of its consignments were found to be infested with fruit flies has led to a drastic drop in the export of mangoes to the lucrative European markets.

Officials from both sides, sources said, would discuss the issue via a video conferencing link on Monday (tomorrow).

According to the official data, mango exports to the EU have plunged to 25 tonnes per day this year, from 200 to 250 tonnes per day in 2012-13.

Pakistan exported 82,000 tonnes of mangoes to 56 countries last year, of which 24,000 tonnes were sent to the EU. In contrast, only 1,200 tonnes mangoes have so far made their way to European countries in two months.

The fruit, however, is fetching two to three times more price this year as compared to last year’s.

The drop in the export, sources said, reflected how the government was desperately trying to avoid a possible all-out ban by putting in place strict measures to ensure export of pest-free fruits.

“We are facing a very tough situation. On the one hand, there is a threat of losing EU market and earning a bad name internationally and, on the other, there are growers/exporters who are using political pressures to get their consignments released,” complained a Plant Protection Department official posted at the Karachi airport.

Although 234 Pakistani mango consignments were rejected last year in different European countries, the situation is graver this year as the EU banned Indian mangoes and a few vegetables in April because of fruit fly infestation, and set stricter requirements for Pakistan.

EU’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG-SANCO), the authority to ensure consumer protection and control quarantine issues in the 28-nation bloc, held a meeting with Pakistan’s Trade Minister in Brussels and told him that the EU standing committee had decided that if more than five interceptions occurred, a ban would be imposed on mango imports from Pakistan. Officials in Pakistan were informed about the restriction on March 27.

Exporters, upset with restrictions, are diverting their consignments to other countries. Since May 25, when the government allowed exports, 47,000 tonnes of mangoes have been exported to Canada, Malaysia, the UAE, the US, Australia and African countries.

The fear over the ban risk, sources said, forced Pakistani officials to take immediate preventive steps at different levels that included registration of mango orchards. But despite these measures, two consignments, and that too from government-registered farms in Sindh, were rejected in the UK last month.

Consequently, registration of all mango orchards was cancelled and the government issued a notification that only hot water-treated mangoes would be accepted for EU export.

Upon contact, Secretary for National Food Security and Research Seerat Asghar said: “The government has started improving the system but it would take some time before international standards are met at every level of production.”

Pakistan, he said, was among the 181 countries that had signed the International Plant Protection Convention under which states were bound to comply with quarantine laws and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) requirements.

“This is mandatory upon all signatories. It’s time that we start working on upgrading our systems to ensure supplies of pest-free produce not just to the international market but also to local consumers,” he said.

On government efforts, Dr Mubarik Ahmed, Adviser and Director General Plant Protection Department located in Karachi, explained that Pakistan had the largest hot water treatment plant in the region where 500 tonnes of mangoes could be processed daily.

“Right now we have just three treatment plants but 11 new facilities have been developed in Punjab whereas 40 more would be ready by next mango season,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2014