ISLAMABAD, July 14: As Pakistan is already exporting mangoes to Europe, Middle East and a number of other regional countries, the country’s mango exports are gaining ground all over the international markets. “The recent breakthrough achieved through signing of MoUs with China and Iran for Pakistani mango exports has opened gateway for increased exports”, said Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan here on Thursday.

He was speaking at the closing ceremony of a three-day 14th National Mango and Dates Expo - 2005, organized by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in collaboration with the Horticulture Foundation of Pakistan here at a local hotel.

The minister said nature had blessed Pakistan with conditions to produce a large range of varieties of the world’s best quality of mangoes.

“Mangoes produced elsewhere have little parallel to the flavour, colour and form of the mangoes we produce.”

“It is, therefore, no surprise that Pakistani mango exports are gaining ground all over international markets,” he added.

Bosan, however, maintained that the potential is much larger and we are confident to be able to arrive at similar arrangements - like China and Iran - with a number of other countries in Central Asia, Far East and Australia.

The minister underlined low productivity, weak post-harvest handling, inadequate grading and processing system and poor adoption and observance of health safety measures and other internationally accepted practices as some drawbacks which hinder the enhanced production and exports of this sweet commodity.—APP