The successful arrival of two Pakistani mango sea-shipmentsinto the UK and the Netherlands has sparked interest among European importersinto sustained commercial sea-freight volumes.
UK importer Univeg-Katope and Dutch-based SolfruitInternational are considering further Pakistani mango imports by sea afterreceiving their first-ever sea-freighted GlobalGap-certified Chaunsas from AliTareen Farms last week.
Univeg-Katope’s Clive Bayston told Fruitnet.com that themangoes’ quality after the three-week voyage was “very encouraging”, and thatthe fruit’s arrival had sparked a flurry of interest from competitors. Severalpallets of Univeg’s fruit were destined for leading UK retailers Marks andSpencer and Morrisons.
Solfruit’s Gustavo Rodriguez said he was impressed with theflavour of the fruit, which left Pakistan on 17 July, and was very interestedin sustained future sea-shipments of Pakistani mangoes.
“The potential `in Europe` is huge for Pakistani mangoes,” he told Fruitnet.com.“I see this sea-freight turning into a commodity business. Pakistani mangoesare great-tasting fruit that until now have been imported into Europe in tinyvolumes by air for niche ethnic consumer markets.”
Shipping by sea can cut transport costs by 50 per cent andtherefore deliver a cheaper product to the end consumer and better returns tothe grower, he explained. Music to the ears of Pakistan’s mango sector, whoseEuropean exports so far this season are down on last year due in part toairfreight hikes.
But it’s quality and not quantity that matters at thisstage. “We’re not interested in doing great volumes right now, we’re interestedin getting it right,” said Mr Rodriguez.'There a couple of minor things that need to be improved, such as the use of better cartons and the presentation of the fruit. But the potential for sea imports is huge.'
The sea trials were organised by a USAID-fundedproject working with Pakistani mango growers.
