ISLAMABAD: The U.S. Agency for International Development has spent $3.1 million to help Pakistani mango growers get their fruits ready for export, and the U.S. government has overturned a ban on imports of Pakistani mangos. But high transportation costs and strict regulations mean that few mangos are likely to make the transatlantic trip this year, and the USAID project will target European markets instead, said a report in a U.S. newspaper Washington Post.
“There is little chance of commercial exports of mangos from Pakistan to the U.S. increasing significantly,” USAID said in a recent document. “Logistics are too costly.”
During a visit to Pakistan almost a year ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she hoped Americans would soon enjoy eating the country’s “delicious” mangos thanks to U.S. assistance. Now these prospective American mango eaters increasingly look to go hungry.
Mangos have long been used by local politicians to woo voters and by Pakistani leaders to smooth relations with their Indian counterparts. So it’s no surprise that U.S. officials saw opportunities in the king of fruits.
Richard Holbrooke, the late special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, had made a habit of eating local mangos, which he called “the best in the world, without offending other mango producers,” in a veiled reference to Pakistan’s archrival, India, the world’s leading producer of the fruit.
The United States has done more than speak favorably of the nation’s horticultural pride. Under USAID supervision, 80 Pakistani mango farm owners received training and funding to streamline sorting, washing, packaging and storing processes so that the fruits meet global certification standards.
The growers are expected to pay half of infrastructure costs, with U.S. funds covering the rest. Farid Khakwani, who owns a mango farm near the central city of Multan, said that he invested more than $100,000 in his new processing line but that he hopes to recoup the investment with access to new markets.
With the United States being the world’s largest mango importer and Pakistan being one of the top producers, the stage seemed set for a fruitful trade. The Pakistani community in the United States is an eager consumer base, evidenced by the suitcases full of mangos carried into the country by relatives and occasionally seized by U.S. Customs.
U.S. authorities have designated only one port of entry, Chicago, for Pakistani mangos; from there, the imported fruit must be shipped to a facility in Iowa for irradiation treatment to destroy bacteria and insects. Ahmad Jawad, a fruit exporter based in Rawalpindi, estimated that shipping and handling costs come to $22 for a case of about five pounds of mangos. Unless they are given more options for shipping and irradiation destinations to bring down costs, U.S. importers will be reluctant to commit, he said.
Despite procedural hurdles, Khakwani said he still hopes to ship his mangos to the United States in mid-July, when the fruits are of the best quality.
“There is little chance of commercial exports of mangos from Pakistan to the U.S. increasing significantly,” USAID said in a recent document. “Logistics are too costly.”
During a visit to Pakistan almost a year ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she hoped Americans would soon enjoy eating the country’s “delicious” mangos thanks to U.S. assistance. Now these prospective American mango eaters increasingly look to go hungry.
Mangos have long been used by local politicians to woo voters and by Pakistani leaders to smooth relations with their Indian counterparts. So it’s no surprise that U.S. officials saw opportunities in the king of fruits.
Richard Holbrooke, the late special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, had made a habit of eating local mangos, which he called “the best in the world, without offending other mango producers,” in a veiled reference to Pakistan’s archrival, India, the world’s leading producer of the fruit.
The United States has done more than speak favorably of the nation’s horticultural pride. Under USAID supervision, 80 Pakistani mango farm owners received training and funding to streamline sorting, washing, packaging and storing processes so that the fruits meet global certification standards.
The growers are expected to pay half of infrastructure costs, with U.S. funds covering the rest. Farid Khakwani, who owns a mango farm near the central city of Multan, said that he invested more than $100,000 in his new processing line but that he hopes to recoup the investment with access to new markets.
With the United States being the world’s largest mango importer and Pakistan being one of the top producers, the stage seemed set for a fruitful trade. The Pakistani community in the United States is an eager consumer base, evidenced by the suitcases full of mangos carried into the country by relatives and occasionally seized by U.S. Customs.
U.S. authorities have designated only one port of entry, Chicago, for Pakistani mangos; from there, the imported fruit must be shipped to a facility in Iowa for irradiation treatment to destroy bacteria and insects. Ahmad Jawad, a fruit exporter based in Rawalpindi, estimated that shipping and handling costs come to $22 for a case of about five pounds of mangos. Unless they are given more options for shipping and irradiation destinations to bring down costs, U.S. importers will be reluctant to commit, he said.
Despite procedural hurdles, Khakwani said he still hopes to ship his mangos to the United States in mid-July, when the fruits are of the best quality.
Source: The News
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