20000413

EPB to hold

fruit shows

in Malaysia

KARACHI: Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) plans to organise two Mango Shows and two Date Shows in Malaysia this year, it was officially stated here on Wednesday.

The first Mango Shows will be held in Kuala Lumpur on June 13, and 14 and the other at Kedah on June 16, and 17, 2000.

The Dates Shows will be held in Kuala Lumpur and Kotabaru on September 5, and 6 and September 8, and 9, 2000, respectively.

Pakistan is rich in the production of these two fruits. Exports of dates from Pakistan have registered an increase of 20% during July-December, 1999 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Exports rose from about 33,000 tonnes in 1998 (July-December) to almost 41,000 tonnes in 1999 (July-December).

The EPB had already organised Date Shows in Khairpur, Turbat, Karachi, Dhaka and Kathmandu in 1999.

A five-member strong delegation of dates' importers from Bangladesh attended the Dates Show in Karachi and also visited Khairpur and Sukkur, the main growing areas of the fruit in Sindh.

As a result, export of fresh dates to Bangladesh increased, quantity wise, by 380% and that of dried dates up by 173% during July-December, 1999 as compared to July-December, 1998.ÑAPP