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Four-year
project to boost mango exports
By Alauddin Masood
 The
export of Pakistani mangoes is likely to receive a great
boost following the launch of a four year project, aimed at
helping farms and groups to set-up facilities that would
make Pakistani mangoes more acceptable in international
markets, and new research findings indicating that the
chemicals found in mangoes help cure some forms of cancer.
Given the excellent taste, the demand for Pakistani mangoes
and mango products is constantly on the rise in overseas
markets, particularly in China, UK and UAE. Pakistan earned
over $61 million by exporting 130,000 tons mangoes last
year. The quantity exported represented less than five per
cent of the total production of mangoes, which stands at 1.7
million tons, in the country. The experts believe that there
exists a huge potential to export some 35 to 40 per cent of
the total production of mangoes, which was over and above
the domestic demand.
The Punjab government is establishing a centre of excellence
for mangoes, in collaboration with USAID, for achieving an
increase in the export of this marvelous fruit, which is
popularly called as the ‘king of fruits’ in most parts of
South Asia.
The FIRMS project will enable mango farmers to meet
standards and phytosanitary requirements, as imposed by the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US
department of agriculture regarding operational protocols,
pre-clearance inspections and irradiation. Memorandum of
understandings (MoUs) to establish the centre of excellence
and re-launch a mango development company is expected to be
signed by the two parties soon. It is envisaged that these
institutions will help ensure provision of mother plants,
setting up certified nurseries, and providing technical
assistance to mango growers, aimed at producing high quality
and disease-free mangoes. Strict quality requirements will
minimize the post-harvest losses which, presently, range
around 40 per cent of the total production of mangoes in the
country. In addition to increasing mango exports, the
project also envisages employing more people and producing
higher value-added products and services with the provision
of basic facilities, like hot water treatment, blast
chillers, reefer containers and latest packing sheds to
substantially increase the shelf-life of mangoes.
Although Pakistan has some of the sweetest mangoes in the
world, its exports of the fruit are relatively low compared
to the potential of the country, which is the third largest
producer of mango fruit across the globe.
In exports, Pakistan’s focus has hitherto remained limited
to the Middle East, the United Kingdom and some European
countries. Despite this, amongst the mango exporting
countries, Pakistan enjoys the distinction to be the fourth
largest exporter of this delicious fruit. With a little
effort, the experts believe, the country can appear as the
leading mango exporting country on the globe.
The major constraint to the expansion of market for
Pakistani mangoes has, till recently, been related to the
country’s inability to supply competitively priced high
quality mangoes in a significant and consistent manner, in
keeping with demands of the supermarket chains.
Pushed by a desire to reap maximum benefits from the wide
range of its horticultural products (vegetables, fruits,
fruit juices and pulps) and eyeing to net over one billion
dollars annually from the export of various horticultural
products, Pakistan has made a beginning by launching, in
collaboration with USAID, a four year project to make
Pakistani mangoes a force in the international market.
By increasing exports of Pakistani mangoes, USAID-Pakistan
FIRMS project also aims at attracting new investment,
creating additional job opportunities, particularly for
women, and achieving income growth in the targeted areas.
Another major aim of the FIRMS project is to help the mango
farmers in Punjab and Sindh achieve the Global Gap
certification for exports, in keeping with the requirements
of EU-USA markets, by raising standards of production,
disease control, post-harvest handling and packaging.
At present, most of Pakistani mango farmers lack
heat treatment and chillers facility to improve the
shelf life of the product. However, currently, three
Pakistani farms and one group of producers in Multan
meet the Global Gap certification requirements of
the European supermarkets.
For the past decade, the Latin American suppliers
have been meeting over 99 per cent of the US market
for mangoes. In view of the distance involved,
apparently, the ability to profitably supply the US
market from Pakistan remains a challenging job.
Rising demand
Pakistan is the house of some fine varieties of
mangoes, which are known for their good aroma,
excellent taste and almost total absence of fiber
content. Among over 150 varieties of mango fruit
produced in Pakistan, the choicest varieties are:
Samar Bahisht (Paradise’s fruit), Fajree, Chaunsa,
Super Langra, Shan-e-Khuda (God’s magnificence),
Anwar Ratol, Lahoti, Ratool, Sindhri, Alfanso,
Dusehri, Roosi Dulhan (Russian bride), Lab-e-Mashooq
(Darling’s lips), Lab-e-Habshi (Negroe’s lips),
Shaheed-e-Zam Zam and Tota Pari. Some other
varieties include: Kala Pahar (Black mountain),
Ghulab-e-Khas (Special rose), Saleh Bhai, Al-Khausa,
Neelum, Baigan Phelli, Seroli and Batasha. Amongst
these, Chaunsa and Sindhri have great potential for
hitting the US and EU supermarkets.
The flesh of a mango is peach-like and juicy. It is
rich in sugar and acid. The mango fruit has best
flavour if allowed to ripen on the tree. When ripe,
the fruit is entirely pale green or yellow marked
with red. The quality of the fruit is based on taste
and scarcity of fiber.
Uses of mango
Rich in a variety of phytochemicals and nutrients
that qualify mango as a super fruit of high health
value, mango is mainly used as a fresh fruit. It is
high in prebiotic dietary fiber, vitamin C,
polyphenols, and provitamin carotenoids. The
antioxidant vitamins A, C and E comprise 25 per
cent, 76 per cent and 9.0 per cent respectively of
the Dietary Reference Intake in a 165-gram serving.
There is a strong demand in the food industry for
mango puree and concentrate, both the basis of mango
juice, and for dried and pickled mango. The mango
kernel is valuable for its oil, which is
commercially extracted for use as a cocoa butter
substitute and for soap-making. The cake remaining
after oil extraction is used in animal feed. The
mango tree also yields a gum – tannin, and a yellow
dye. The bark possesses 16 per cent to 20 per cent
tannin and has been employed for tanning hides. A
somewhat resinous, red-brown gum from the trunk is
used for mending crockery in tropical Africa. Amchur
is a spice, which is prepared from the flesh of
dried green mangoes and it is widely used in the
entire South Asian subcontinent. The bark and leaves
of mango trees as well as the mango seeds are used
to prepare a range of traditional medicines.
New research studies have shown that chemicals found
in mango can help cure some forms of cancers,
including colon, chest, lungs, bone-marrow and
prostrate.Many doctors believe that mango pulp,
juice, peel and seed can create resistance against
cancer. These research findings are likely to result
in increasing the demand for mango fruits manifold.
Courtesy:The
NEWS
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