Exporters eye $100 million mango exports despite climate hurdles

Pakistani exporters are targeting to ship off 125,000 tons of mangoes this season. Shipments will reportedly begin from May 25 and are expected to generate large foreign exchange inflows for cash-strapped Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA), if exporters are able to meet the target, the mangoes will bring in approximately $100 million in export revenues. Reports reveal that last season’s export target sat at just 100,000 tons, indicating that exporters have increased their target by 25,000 tons for the current season.

Analysts believe, however, that the domestic supply of mangoes may be detrimentally impacted by climate challenges, creating difficulties for exporters to meet their target. As per a key member of the PFVA, the supply of mangoes has been falling persistently owing to water scarcity and climate change.

The aforementioned PFVA member, Waheed Ahmed, outlined how mango production could decline by a staggering 20 percent this year. He highlighted how mango production may fall from a respectable 1.8 million tons to a measly 1.4 million tons.

Reports reveal that 70 percent of mangoes are grown in Punjab, with 29 percent being grown in Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is responsible for producing just one percent of Pakistan’s mangoes.

According to Waheed Ahmed, authorities need to enact “provincial-level initiatives” to relieve climate-based pressures impacting mango production. These include, but are not limited to, developing mango varieties that are climate resilient, improving water management on a provincial scale, modernising the agricultural sector and investing in research and development.

As per experts, climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural activities, a threat which mangoes are not immune to. Pakistan may soon be able to invest in initiatives once it receives funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) to combat climate-related shocks.

Falling mango yields could result in an uptick in fruit prices in the domestic market. Increasing mango exports could exacerbate the problem, causing a further increase in prices.

Waheed Ahmed has revealed that exporters are targeting new markets in addition to long-standing importers of Pakistani mangoes. These new markets include the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Moreover, he outlined that exporters will place special emphasis on moving into the Turkish and Chinese markets. Reports suggest that South Africa will open its market for Pakistan’s mangoes too, which could result in a significant jump in mango exports.