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Multan, May 21, 2007 – Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate Lahore, Bryan Hunt, addressing a USAID workshop to inform mango growers and exporters about the current status and U.S. requirements for mango exports from Pakistan to the U.S.
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Multan – A day-long workshop on the importance of “awareness and mango marketing opportunities” aimed to inform mango growers and exporters about the current status and U.S. requirements for mango exports from Pakistan to the U.S. was held here today.
“Multan is not only a city with a rich cultural heritage, it is also an important agricultural center. The geography and climate are ideal for producing some of the sweetest mangoes in the world,” Bryan Hunt, Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate Lahore, said while speaking at the USAID workshop.
The workshop is being conducted under the auspices of USAID’s Pakistan Initiative for Strategic Development and Competitiveness (PISDAC) which aims to increase competitiveness of Pakistan’s small and medium sized enterprises.
The senior American diplomat highlighted U.S. efforts to “strengthen the Pakistani fruit crop sector” and appreciated the “quality of mangoes grown in southern Punjab.”
“It is only befitting that USAID has organized this workshop here. Through initiatives such as today’s workshop and one held in Lahore last month, USAID aims to enhance the export potential of Pakistani fruit crop industry,” Mr. Hunt pointed out.
Bryan Hunt said that in order to remain competitive, the fruit crop sector must continue to modernize production technology, harvesting practices, packaging and post-harvest care.
“The goal of the PISDAC project is to help develop a sustainable and diverse Pakistani fruit crops sector in each of the four provinces to enable growers to provide the market with consistent supplies of uniform high quality product at competitive prices,” said Mr Eugene Miller, Deputy Chief of the PISDAC project.
The workshop was also addressed by eminent expert and world renowned consultant Charles Ed Miller who talked about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s requirements for the export of mangoes to the United States. The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock gave a presentation on the current status of export of Pakistani mangoes.
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