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Iran's concern about quality of Pakistani fruits
removed
LAHORE (March 25 2004): The Government of Pakistan
has been able to remove doubts and concerns of the
Iranian government regarding quality of Pakistani
fruits that has opened up a big export market for
Pakistani kinoo and mangoes.
According to a spokesperson of the Pakistan
Horticulture Development and Exports Board (PHDEB),
PHDEB, EPB & Federal Plant Protection Departments,
after holding a series of meetings with the
officials from Iranian Plant Quarantine
Department, were finally able to arrange a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two
governments for allowing export of kinoo and
mangoes from Pakistan to Iran.
The Iranian government was, in fact, interested to
increase imports of fruits, especially kinoo from
Pakistan, but it had concerns and reservations
about health and quality of Pakistani fruits.
The Iranian Quarantine Department had expressed
doubt that the Citrus fruit in Pakistan was
contaminated with pest and fruit fly.
Moreover, the Iranian government with regard to
WTO regime coming ahead, wanted to make it sure
that Pakistan's Horticulture products were
complying with SPS. In order to address all these
issues, the government of Pakistan invited a
delegation of experts from Iranian Quarantine
Department.
The three-member Iranian delegation that visited
Pakistan last week in the leadership of Dr
Muhammad Reza Asghari, Head, Group of the External
Plant Quarantine was a decisive step in this
direction, the spokesperson added.
The delegation held a number of meetings with EPB,
Plant Protection Department and the PHDEB.
It also met the trade bodies of fruits' growers
and exports.
Shamoon Sadiq, Chief Executive Officer of the
PHDEB, after holding a detailed meeting, took the
delegation to Bhalwal where he showed them three
main kinoo grading and processing units.
Iqbal Pathan from Plant Protection Department and
Rana Shahzad Hussain also accompanied him.
Visiting these units, Mohammad Reza Asghari was
quite satisfied with the post-harvest
infrastructure - the cool chain and the
transportation mechanism. He acknowledged that
standards in this mechanism help fruit retain its
quality and texture.
Reza Asghari also visited the grading and
processing facilities in this context with a
detailed analysis of cold storage treatment
against likely infestation of fruit flies.
He also visited the kinoo Orchards from SPS point
of view. He praised Pakistani fruit for its
quality and observed no serious disease in it.
Based on his findings the two governments agreed
to sign a protocol, which will allow access of
Pakistani citrus fruit & mangoes to Iran.
Courtesy Business Recorder |
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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