ISLAMABAD (May 15 2010): Pakistan is formally sending its first consignment of mangoes to Saudi Arabia and Qatar through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Karachi Saturday (May 15).

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC), Bashir Hussain inaugurated the first consignment of 1300-kg mangoes being dispatched by Saeed Khan and Company and Jahanzeb Muhammad and Company.

The government had set the deadline of May 15 to kick-start mango export season in consultation with all the stakeholders. Bashir Hussain while talking to Business Recorder from Karachi said PHDEC has also planned to hold `Mango Festivals` in UK and Holland which are the two top destinations in Europe.

According to Bashir the longest of this festival will be in the United Kingdom, where PHDEC along with growers and horticulture exporters will hold a 14-day festival in collaboration with a big retail store, providing opportunity to the visitors not only to see Pakistan`s leading Sindhri and Chaunsa varieties on display, but also to treat their taste buds with this fruit during the tasting sessions.

These festivals are part of the efforts and action plan to meet the target of exporting 150,000 tons of mangoes this year. The UK festival is likely to start from first week of June. `Visitors to this mango festival would be served with mango milkshake and mango `Lassi` a very popular drink amongst Asians as well as other communities living in the United Kingdom to familiarise them with the Pakistani varieties.`

Replying to a question he said that mangoes were already being exported to the UK and during the last some years, export to this destination remained at 18,000 tons to 20,000 tons and PHDEC wanted to improve this from 28,000 to 30,000 tons. One of the major aims of this exercise is also to introduce our fruit in premium market, sources added.

While PHDEC would be holding a same kind of two-day festival in Holland. Expected dates of Mango Festival in Holland is first week of July. In Holland, PHDEC has planned to arrange technical sessions to apprise importers and consumers about the efforts made by the Pakistani growers, exporters and the government to meet the European standards. He said documentaries on the varieties of the Pakistani mangoes would also be displayed besides the briefing by technical experts. A single-day exhibition and festival will also be arranged in Iran as part of these efforts, sources said. Talking about the composition of the delegation to these mango festivals, sources said that there would be two exporters, two growers while fifth would be a new entrant.

He said the mango export strategy has been finalised in close liaison with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) which is whole-heartedly co-operating with PHDEC. Answering another question, he said Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim is also using his energies to enhance citrus and mangoes export.