Mangoes in US market: Mexico, Indian varieties may give tough time to Pakistan
Posted by Labels: Export, Fruit, India, Mango, Maxico, Pakistan, USA
Unless pre-shipment irradiation in Pakistan is allowed by the United States, Pakistani mangoes may find difficult market in America said Ahmad Jawad, CEO, Harvest Trading.
He said whereas Indian mangoes are irradiated in India itself, at a facility in Nasik near Bombay, under the supervision of a US inspector.
Funded by the Indian Government, the US inspector checks every shipment for compliance to US standards before the consignment could be shipped.
As against this, Pakistani mangoes have to be irradiated at a plant in Iowa.
This facility cannot be availed because commercial shipments in sizeable quantities are unviable, said Ahmad Jawad.
Although the price range of Pakistani mangoes is significantly higher in US, the die-hard mango lovers are willing to pay a premium price for a nostalgic bite of their choice fruit.
America is the biggest buyer of Asian mangoes.
It must facilitate our mango in the country's huge market through proper way by allowing relaxation in the policies and procedures for 2012 season, said Jawad.
He said it's been a long and arduous journey last year for Pakistani mangoes (Chausa) before they finally landed in the US after two years of strategic talks.
Grown in Multan orchards, the Chausa variety land in Chicago under a strictly controlled trade arrangement between the governments of the two countries.
Pakistan was unable to wangle the same deal because of deteriorating relations with the US.
No American wants to be stationed in Pakistan given the severity of travel advisories repeatedly issued by the US State department, Jawad said.
At a time when Pakistan and the United States are at serious odds over just about everything, Pakistani officials have begun an unofficial campaign to try and sweeten the bitter ties by, of all things, using the country's famous mangoes as a peace offering.
Mangoes were sent to US congressmen and senators to help ease the tension.
Other politicians have also quickly followed.
Using mangoes to defray bad relations is an old tradition in Pakistan.
The country's often-competing tribes have long used the succulent fruit to diffuse arguments and to signify a fresh start, he said.
The CEO Harvest Trading further said that the first shipment of mangoes, which landed at Chicago's O'Hare International airport in July 2011, came after the United States lifted a decades-long ban because Pakistani mangoes did not meet US standards of pest control and postharvest management.
With improvements made in the industry, however, the floodgates have opened.
Pakistani mangos have a kind of mythical aura about them.
They are sweeter than the Indian or Indonesian mangoes that are available in the United States and, as anyone who has had them will say, there is no match.
Mango fans in the United States for years would drive to Toronto in the hopes of buying the Chausa variety there.
Some went so far as to try and smuggle them back over the border.
Pakistan is the sixth largest mango producing country in the world after India, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico, producing 1.9 million tons annually.
In case irradiation process is not made easier this summer, then would say easily it's just a diplomacy tool nothing else; Jawad said.
