Pakistani and Chinese officials have signed an import protocol heralding market access for imports of Pakistani mangoes into China, the Tribune reports.
The agreement was signed on 15 July by Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Masood Khalid, on behalf of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, and Chinese minister Zhi Shuting, on behalf of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
The protocol determines that exports of Pakistani fresh mangoes to China must comply with certain plant quarantine and phytosanitary regulations.
All packing houses and storage facilities handling mango exports intended for China would be required to have approved systems in place.
The protocol is intended to remain in place for two years and be automatically extendable for another two years.
This development comes on the back of extensive efforts by Pakistan to expand markets for its mangoes since they were approved for export from 25 May this year.
The first dispatch were sent to the Mauritus last month. Other markets Pakistan hopes to enter include the US, South Korea and Japan.
Masood Khalid described the agreement as a significant breakthrough for the mango industry and expressed optimism for the product’s export future.
