The Federal Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have agreed to install a state-of-the-art high-capacity scanner at Karachi Airport for examination of the export consignments of fruits, vegetables, and other perishable food items.
Installation of the scanner will enable export consignments of fruits and vegetables, especially mangoes, to be scanned in the shortest possible time with minimum human intervention, which will ensure that the quality of mangoes is not affected. It will also help in removing bottlenecks and barriers to ensure smooth export operation of perishable cargo, leading to enhancement of fruit exports, especially mangoes.
According to Waheed Ahmed, the Patron – in -Chief of Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA) that in pursuance of PFVA’s Horticulture Vision 2030, the MoC has agreed to install modern facilities of automatic and speedy inspection of fruits’ consignments at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Multan airports.
The MoC having agreed in principle on the proposal for installation of modern scanners has decided to initiate implementation of this proposal first from Karachi followed by other cities.
Recently a delegation, consisting of Executive Director General – MoC Syed Rafay Bashir Shah, officials of Trade Development Authority and Chairman PFVA Shehzad Sheikh, Former Chairman Aslam Pakhali, and Patron-in-Chief of PFVA Waheed Ahmed visited Karachi airport cargo terminal in this context. The delegation also had a meeting with the Director-General – CAA to look into the possibilities of installing the latest technologically advanced large-capacity scanners.
The members of the delegation visited the cargo terminal where they were given a detailed briefing on the inspection procedure of mango and other fruits and vegetable export consignments by the Anti-narcotics force (ANF), Customs, & ground handling agency.
According to Waheed Ahmed, during the visit for the planning of installation of modern scanners at the airport, the Executive Director General of the Federal Ministry of Commerce Syed Rafay Bashir Shah agreed to form an integrated system by merging various regulatory processes leading to one window operation. Syed Rafay Shah expressed concern that different agencies at the airport duplicate the same process which in turn affects the quality of the export shipments of fruits due to frequent human handling taking the longer time of inspection process.
During the visit, it was also agreed that simultaneously with the installation of the scanner, a special shed at the airport would also be constructed where the export shipments of fruits can be stored and protected from the ill-effects of the weather leading to dampening of the bottom layers of boxes in the shipments during the rainy season besides eliminating the possibility of fruit fly entering into the boxes of mango consignments.
Waheed Ahmed pointed out that the installation of state-of-the-art scanners at airports, construction of special sheds, and a one-window facility would also benefit seafood, poultry, and meat exports from Pakistan along with other perishable food exports including mango and fruits and vegetables.
He said that PFVA has assured the MoC & CAA that PFVA has no objection to scanning export shipments of fruits. And the proposal is a part of the horticulture Vision -2030 formulated by the PFVA itself, which aims at significantly enhancing fruit and vegetable exports from Pakistan by removing barriers to exports.
Waheed Ahmed further shared that PFVA has recommended to the MoC that the scanners installed at the airport should be as par to the standards required by the Europe and USA and emphasized that consultation services of a firm with international expertise and experience for this important project should be acquired to make this facility according to the global standards.
Waheed Ahmed strongly anticipated that the modern scanner and one window facility at Karachi Airport would be available prior to the commencement of the next mango season, which would directly benefit the export of mango from Pakistan and remarkably multiply the existing export volume besides other perishable commodities.
