Pakistan successfully shipped some 2,500kg of Vapour-Heat-Treated (VHT) chaunsa mangoes to Japan in July, after a 16-year hiatus, according to Pakistan’s Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA).
The fruit, which arrived in Japan between July 1 and 24, was very well received by Japanese consumers, PFVA chairman Abdul Malik told Fruitnet.com.
“The feedback was very encouraging,” he said. “They liked our mangoes a lot.”
As a result, Pakistan’s exporters expect Japan will be a more profitable new market for its mangoes than the US – where trade officially launched on 29 July.
The logistics of getting fruit to Japan are easier than supplying the US, Mr Malik explained, since Japan has approved Pakistan’s VHT treatment facility.
All Pakistani mangoes destined for the US, meanwhile, must be irradiated on arrival in Chicago, placing an extra burden on importers, and making import costs much higher, he said.
Pakistani mango exports to Europe, meanwhile, are likely to slow down during August because of Ramadan, according to Mr Malik.
Local mango consumption traditionally rises during the month of Ramadan – which this year began during the first week of August, he explained. Shippers will therefore prefer to sell their fruit at home for this period rather than undertake the risk of exporting to Europe, Mr Malik said.
Speaking in early August, Mr Malik said Pakistan’s mango crop had so far been unaffected by heavy rains. Last year production was hit by devastating floods.
“As far as volumes are concerned, all is normal so far. But these coming two months are critical. Last year we had a lot of rain,” he said.
The PFVA initially earmarked around 150,000 tonnes of Pakistani mangoes for global exports to the end of September.
“But that doesn’t take Ramadan into consideration,” Mr Malik said. “During Ramadan I expect most fruit to be used domestically. This could mean limited volumes for export, and possible price hike for exports.”
Pakistan exports two mango varieties: chaunsa and white chaunsa from the Punjab region.
“White chausa has a very good shelf-life, but if there’s too much rain this variety is not exportable,” Mr Malik said.
“Regular chaunsa usually ends by the second week of August.”
