HYDERABAD - Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) hosted a Pre-Season Mango Seminar, focusing on enhancing mango quality and minimizing post-harvest losses. The seminar highlighted standard harvest, post-harvest handling, processing, and packing procedures. Additionally, PHDEC launched an innovative Mango Bagging initiative aimed at improving fruit quality and commercial viability. Mango, a significant product in Pakistan’s horticulture sector, is produced from May to September annually. The seminar aimed to educate farmers, processors, and exporters, enhancing their understanding of best practices and technologies. The Mango Bagging initiative, piloted in 2023 with 150,000 bags distributed in Sindh and Punjab, received positive feedback for improving fruit quality and appearance. Following its success, PHDEC distributed an additional 150,000 bags this season (2024). Despite being the fifth-largest mango-producing country, only 6-7% of Pakistan’s mango production is exported fresh. The bagging initiative aims to increase exports by enhancing fruit quality, making Pakistani mangoes more competitive in high-end international markets. Athar Hussain Khokhar, CEO of PHDEC, highlighted the pilot project’s importance and emphasized collaboration with stakeholders to enhance mango quality, increase market share, and boost exports to high-end markets. Keynote speaker Dr Javed Iqbal, Senior Scientist from Mango Research Station (Shujabad) provided insights on mango orchard management and the benefits of mango bagging for yield and quality.
He suggested that policies should be conducive to promoting local industrialists to attract investment in setting up local industries.
Chairman IEEEP Engr Naveed Akram said the industries should be bound to buy local brands of engineering and electrical goods in accordance with a national policy, which will develop the country on a self-sustainable basis.
He further said that IEEEP, through EDB, could take significant initiatives to promote engineering sectors provided that duties are removed on raw materials and the government supports local manufacturers to export made-in-Pakistan brands in foreign markets.
Engineers of various fields, faculty members of different engineering universities, economists and various stakeholders attended the symposium.
