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Japan may lift ban on Pak mango import

AMER SIAL

ISLAMABAD: Japan may lift ban on the import of mangoes from Pakistan in the near future, official sources told Business Recorder.

Sources said that in this connection a Japanese expert is coming here in May next to assist local officials in improving the quality of mangoes and to conduct trials and to generate data.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided Vapour Heat Treatment Plant and its spare parts to Pakistani officials concerned to fight against fruit flies attack on mangoes. VHT plant is the most accepted technique universally and is considered to be the safest, being free from pesticidal hazards and residue as in case of any fumigation.

It is one of the requirement of Japanese government that fresh fruits and vegetables exported to Japan should be given Vapour Heat Treatment for complete disinfestation of fruit flies.

The Export Promotion Bureau has received an experimental 'Vapour Heat Treatment Equipment Model EHK-1000D' with spare parts under a grant from Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for generating research data.

This equipment has been installed at Plant Quarantine Laboratory, Karachi, Airport, in October 1999 under the supervision of a Japanese expert. He has also given training to the officers of the Plant Protection Department for operating the equipment. Three officials of the department had already got training from Japan under Jica programme on fruit fly disinfestation.

According to sources the function of VHT equipment are; (i) disinfestation as well as maintaining the quality of mango, (ii) 250 kg mangoes can be treated at one time, (iii) six hours are required for one treatment and (iv) three shifts of treatment are possible in a single day (750 kg fruits can be treated on daily basis).

This equipment would be utilised for disinfestation regime suitable under local conditions. The search period, as required by the Japanese, is two years. A Japanese expert will visit Pakistan in May this year to conduct trial on mangoes and generate data.

Although export of fresh fruits and vegetables to Japan is at a very low level, experts claim that it would improve as soon as Japan lifts ban on import of Pakistani mangoes, and the plant starts full-fledged functioning to purge these commodities from infestation.

Findings would be evaluated by the Japanese quarantine officials before lifting the ban on mango export from Pakistan, sources said. Japan had put a ban on the import of mangoes from Pakistan for fear of fruit flies, which are said to be prevalent in Pakistan.

Japan is taking precautionary steps against fruit flies for which Japanese officials want assurance that mangoes exported to their country are free from infestation of fruit flies and at the same time free from harmful residue of pesticides.