by Cheng Xizhong

BEIJING, July 8 (China Economic Net) – According to the Pakistani media reports, due to the fast spread of the coronavirus, exports of mango will drop sharply this year. Experts predict that Pakistan's mango export will drop by 35-40% this year with temporary suspension of international flights, border closures, rising freight rates, especially the reduction in mango demand.

According to Waheed Ahmed, head of the Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association of Pakistan, mango exports is not expected to exceed 80,000 tons this year. In 2019, Pakistan exported 130,000 tons of mango to the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries and regions.

Pakistan is a major fruit producing country, which is known as "oriental fruit basket". Currently, other countries in South Asia, such as India and Bangladesh, and many countries in Southeast Asia are also major fruit producers. In recent years, China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Hainan province have also planted a large number of fruit trees. Now China produces 300 million tons of fruit every year.

As the fruit production has exceeded the needs of the people in South Asia and Southeast Asia, exports is more difficult and the problem of unsalable is more prominent.

Due to the pandemic, exports of mango and other fruits are seriously affected. Is there any remedial measure to minimize the loss of fruit growers in Pakistan?

I would like to make the following points for reference. First, the Pakistani government may formulate policies to encourage its own people to eat more fruits such as mango, to promote domestic consumption to make up for the loss caused by lower net exports.

Second, the fruits’ deep processing should be developed. So mangoes and other fruits can be made into canned food or dry goods for exports after the pandemic.

Third, with effective pandemic prevention measures, we may study the possibility of expanding mangoes export to China through land transportation.

Pakistan's high-quality mango is still very popular in China. I think that by taking the above-mentioned measures, we can minimize the loss of fruit farmers in Pakistan.

Cheng Xizhong, special commentator of China Economic Net, visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, senior fellow of the Charhar Institute, former Defense Attache in South Asian countries, former UN Senior Military Observer