ISLAMABAD, July 12: Minister of State for Commerce Hamid Yar Hiraj here on Tuesday said Pakistan had enormous potential to export mangoes keeping in view the quality and variety of the fruit it produced. He said Pakistan could become the largest mango exporting country, given that the international quarantine regulations were truly followed and the quality and standards maintained by growers and exporters. The minister was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 14th National Mango and Dates Expo-2005.

The exposition has been organized by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in collaboration with the Horticultural Foundation of Pakistan. The ceremony was attended among others by envoys of China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Mr Hiraj said the government was encouraging and facilitating the growers by offering them various incentives so that the country could achieve high exports in mangoes.

He welcomed the efforts of the EPB and the Horticultural Foundation of Pakistan for organizing this event. It will help create awareness among the growers and traders of various aspects such as quality and standards, packing, grading, waxing and good presentation of the produce, he said.

Earlier, EPB Director Saleem Ahmad Ranjha informed the participants of the ceremony that the mango exports of the country had touched the $12.381 million figure during July 2004 to March 2005. The figures for the fiscal year 2003-04 stood at $23.426 million, he added.

A number of varieties of mango and dates have been exhibited in the expo by growers from across the country.