Pakistan is fast on its way to tap the two billion dollar “Mango” market in South Korea as it shipped its first ever consignment of the fruit to the country the other day.
Pakistan got approval for export of mangoes to South Korea last year only, after a series of inspections related to quality and standard of locally available mangoes variant. The country for its 2013 fruit season was allowed to export 500 tonnes of mangoes. However, the first consignment carried 10 tonnes of mangoes. Mango exports will not only increase trade ties between the two countries but will also open a new market corridor for Pakistan’s traders in different sectors to promote the country’s branded products, particularly those pertaining to the fruit sector besides other diversified and unique sectors.
Pakistan’s mangoes hold potential markets worldwide and South Korea could be one of the countries where fruit exporters could penetrate with different varieties of mangoes against handsome returns, said a fruit exporter and Durrani Associates CEO Abdul Qadir Khan Durrani. The introduction of mangoes’ exports to South Korea is a welcome development for the country, Durrani said.
He is the one who introduced Pakistani mangoes in the Asia-Pacific Region. South Korea is a very rewarding market for Pakistani fruits where importers are inclined towards value addition products, he said. He hailed the opening of the Korean market as a landmark achievement and expressed hope that this will open doors for other fruits of Pakistan in the Korean market.
South Korea Business Council Vice Chairman and Durrani Associates Director Babar Khan Durrani said the Pakistani mango is preferred by South Koreans over mangoes from different countries owing to the uniqueness of its taste, flavour and colours. He said the price difference in Pakistan’s mangoes is very prominent and it is being demanded at 100 percent higher prices than mangoes of other countries.
On the occasion, Pak-Korea Business Council Chairman of FPCCI Sohail Nisar said South Korea is a major fruit market with a demand for more than 12,000 tonnes of mangoes, currently imported from a few countries.
The delicious, aromatic and different varieties of mangoes grown in Pakistan have no parallel, he said.
Nisar said despite a 30% duty on mango imports, the Pakistani fruit could have a good demand in the Korean market. He, however, called for swift processing of mangoes at existing facilities. This, he said is extremely important as South Korea has a very stringent quality control policy for mango imports. The policy requires mangoes to be processed in 48 degree Celsius for 65 minutes, so as to destroy all bacteria. Consul General of South Korea in Pakistan Chang-Hee Lee highlighted the mutual interest of Pakistan and South Korea to boost trade and strategic ties in different fields. He assured his cooperation to strengthen bilateral relationship between the two countries through cementing ties with the business fraternity of the country.
