Pakistan is unlikely to meet its mango export targets this season, and the very future of the sector hangs in the balance following the devastating floods that have hit the country this month.
Pakistan's Fruit and Vegetable Exporter Association told The Express Tribune today that achieving the 150,000-tonne target set for mango export this season was 'almost impossible' since flood waters have swept away some 2,500 acres of mango plantations in Punjab, and surviving fruit is of poor quality.
The group's chairman Wahid Ahmed said mango exports to date were down by Rs1.3bn in value terms over the previous year, and shipments of Chaunsa mangoes from southern Punjab had dropped by 35,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, the value of Pakistan's vegetable exports is down by US$16m as a result of the floods, he said.
Mr Ahmed warned that unless prompt support is provided to small and medium-scale farmers and horticultural traders, Pakistan may lose its foothold in its export markets.
