Pakistani mango exports to Iran have resumed once again after a month-long suspension attributed to the closure of treatment plants. Hot water treatment for mangoes is a post-harvest treatment process used to control pests and diseases in the fruit. It involves immersing mangoes in hot water at a specific temperature and duration to eliminate or reduce the presence of insects, larvae, and pathogens on the fruit’s surface. This treatment is primarily used for mangoes intended for export to meet the phytosanitary regulations of importing countries.
Under Iranian phytosanitary standards, mangoes require hot water treatment to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. It was alleged that mangoes being produced in Pakistan were not getting the HWT from an approved plant of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) hence their export was halted. However the resumption of export going through a single plant has caught exporters and competing plants by surprise.
Numerous mango exporters, particularly from Multan, have come forward with severe concerns about the resumption of exports without the mandated treatment process.
Source: profit.pakistantoday.com.pk