MULTAN,June 2nd:President of Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) Malik Asrar Ahmed Awan has said that a US-supported project " FIRMS" is helping to bridge the gap between Pakistani Mango farmers and European consumers and FIRMS, being part of the Economic Growth portfolio of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was helping farmers not only to connect with large international buyers but to achieve their quality standards.Malik Asrar Ahmed Awan said that despite being home of some of the tastiest mangoes on the planet, Multan exports a relatively small percentage of its production. But to increase its exports, the country’s mango farmers will have to gain credibility with international buyers, such as supermarket chains. To do so, farmers will have to consistently supply them with high-quality fruit, delivered on time and with affordable prices.He said that FIRMS is implemented on behalf of USAID by Chemonics International, a development consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., that works in more than 70 countries to help people live healthier, more independent, and more productive lives.As the harvest season is beginning to heat up, FIRMS is providing training in the best ways to pick, sort, grade, and package the delicate fruit of mango. Investments in on-farm infrastructure such as blast chilling, cold storage, and hot water treatment equipment will ensure that farmers will be able to deliver the fruit to exporters in good condition. Finally, the project is arranging to ship the mangoes via controlled atmosphere containerised sea freight to Europe.All of these activities are designed to help mango farmers to take advantage of the contacts made during a recent trip to Berlin, Germany, for the 2010 “Fruit Logistica” trade show – one of the world’s leading international trade fairs for fruit and vegetable producers. The FIRMS project sent 11 leading Pakistani mango farmers, government officials, and exporters to the tradeshow.
The Pakistani delegation’s participation at the event has sparked a new beginning for the Pakistan’s mango sector. Participants held one-on-one meetings with prominent players in the international fruit market and strengthened their knowledge of international best practices and paved avenues for future market engagements. Wealmoor, a renowned supplier to the retail stores, expressed interest in sending an evaluation team to inspect Pakistani mango farms, while the Greefa Company is negotiating to provide custom built packing machines for local farms. The potential of Pakistani mangos prompted other key international suppliers of fruits and vegetables, such as UNIVEG and Total Exotics to import Pakistan’s mango varieties, encouraging the farmers to adopt international standards.Malik Asrar Ahmed Awan said FIRMS is helping mango producers gear up for sea and air trial shipments to Europe later this month to test the ability to deliver high-quality mangos consistently using on-farm infrastructure facilities cost-shared with USAID. FIRMS is also partnering with the US Department of Agriculture to send another trial shipment of mangos to the US in August. Participants at the meeting agreed that the meeting made them realise that the mango industry in Pakistan has tremendous potential to tap into the international mango market. With the help of USAID, industry leaders are crafting an overall strategy to develop a consistent, export-quality to put the Pakistani mango on the international map