Strict condition to hurt Pak mango exports to Japan

It is unlikely that Pakistani exporters will reap benefits from the recent decision of Japanese government to lift ban on its mango import mainly owing to stringent condition of Vapour Heat Treatment (VHT) for the fruit placed by Japan which may hamper Pakistan's export. According to leading fruit exporters, all the excitement of commencement of large-scale export of mango to Japan may die down, as exporters will be unable to bear massive cost of VHT equipment from Japan the equipment roughly costs Rs 250 million. The VHT process mainly involves killing of fruit fly in mango, which will make the fruit free of fly before start of mango export to Japan, as it is required by the Quarantine Department of the Japanese government.
One leading fruit exporter informed the scribe that it is impossible for an individual exporter to afford such a price of the equipment as the return on the investment may take more than 15 years, which is unviable. The only option available for exporters to fulfill the condition of VHT for mango before the export process gets underway is availability of common facility center at official level aimed at facilitating individual exporters. Abdul Wahid, Former Chairman of All Pakistan Vegetable and Fruit Exporters Association replying to a query of the scribe regarding other available alternative for the VHT, claimed that Pakistani government can play a due role urging its Japanese counterpart to allow utilization of Hot Water Treatment (HWT) facility to the exporters for mango export from the upcoming season. The facility is fortunately available in Pakistan and is cost-effective as far as exporters are concerned ?a as this treatment system for making mango pest-free is common in majority of the mango exporting countries across the world. "The cost of the equipment is around Rs 5 million to Rs 10 million, which is financially viable for majority of exporters," he added.