All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Association (PFVA) holds the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) responsible for deliberately creating barriers in enhancement of export of mangoes from Pakistan to Iran. Due to gross negligence of “some officials” of the DPP displayed in the process of approval of Hot Water Treatment (HWT) Plants, the exporters are helpless to pay high cost of the mangoes treatment according to “sweet wish” of the owners of the some “favorite approved HWT plants, having blessings of the DPP and thus some “specific elements” have been “let loose” to establish monopoly in the mango Industry and endangering the heavy investments made in the HWT plants which is at stake now. The PFVA has demanded from the Federal Minister of National Food Security & Research (MNFSR) to initiate necessary strict disciplinary action against the officials of the DPP who have not only severely hurt the Mango Industry but also the country’s trade.
In a letter addressed to the Federal Minister National Food Security &Research the Association (PFVA) apprised him of gross irregularities exercised in the process of inspection and approval by the officials of the DPP. According to the letter, the Iranian Quarantine team during its visit to Karachi & Quetta prior to mango season in Sept / Oct. 2019 conducted inspection of nineteen (19) HWT plants and of these only five (05) were approved for processing mangoes for export to Iran. Despite frequent requests by the PFVA’s members and the owners of the disapproved HWT plants to share the detailed report submitted by the Iranian inspecting team to the DPP on conclusion of their visit, the report has not yet been shared and the PFVA is still awaiting for the same. Meanwhile the Association kept on requesting a number of times for sharing the detailed report submitted by the Iranian team related to the disapproved HWT plants and also sent in written to the DPP to follow up with the Iranian team for re-inspection of the disapproved plants. The Department of Plant Protection (DPP) informed PFVA on commencement of the current mango season in the first week of May 2020 that the Iranian authorities have approved only five (05) HWT plants in Pakistan. Due to “delaying tactics” adopted by the DPP in “prolonging the process of re-inspection “ so as to delay subsequent approval , owners of the disapproved plants , invested heavily in the HWT plants are still in the state of “shock & dismay” since it was beyond their expectations that even after further investment to make up minor deficiencies pointed out by the Iranian Quarantine team and being confident & hopeful to get approval of their plants it was not materialized while the sincere efforts of the PFVA also encountered serious setback to further enhance export of mangoes to Iran by reducing the cost of treatment to almost 50% .
The painful story of negligence by the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) does not conclude here. Due to COVID -19, the concerned Iranian authorities in a letter addressed to the DPP advised the DPP to carry out re-inspection of the six disapproved plants, simultaneously dishing out the minor deficiencies so that these plants can also be approved. The DPP did not timely share anything about the letter from the Iranian authorities and instead sent a letter dated 24th June 2020 to the PFVA which was received on 27th June 2020 informing the PFVA about the visit of a team of the DPP for technical audit of the six disapproved plants while the date of visit of the team was not mentioned in the letter. It’s quite surprising that the DPP had already inspected three out of six disapproved plants on the same day (27th June 2020) of receipt of the letter by the PFVA. The DPP informed Association (PFVA) through an e-mail on 30th June 2020 around 4:41 PM. That the technical team of the DPP will review the previous pending inspection report of the disapproved plants by re-visiting the disapproved plants on 30 th June 2020! It was a shocking & unexpected visit as the owners of these disapproved plants had to make their plants ready in such an urgency of “very short notice”. It’s worth mentioning here that the expenses incurred in getting a HWT ready for inspection is around Rs. 600,000/- and the poor owners of these plants still managed to get high quality mangoes & made necessary logistic arrangements during this “panicky situation” in matter of a few hours ‘available at their disposal!
According to the PFVA if the entire situation is evaluated critically, a point clearly emerges is that the “motive” of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) was to ensure that under any circumstance the number of approved HWT plants providing the processing facilities remain unchanged and by adopting unethical trade practice of “deliberate delaying tactics” and using the “cover” of technical inspection and re-inspection the DPP ensured that these additional six disapproved plants remain inoperative till end of the mango season in the province of Sindh . The objective behind such a move by the DPP was to establish monopoly of a few specific favorite approved HWT plants and obviously there is a strong conviction that this “entire undesirable game” must also be having blessings of the DPP & “financial interest “of “some officials” of the DPP as well. A few “favorite approved HWT plants are charging Rs.15-20 per kilo for treatment of mangoes for export to Iran and keeping in view the export volume of mangoes to Iran at 30,000 tons , one can well imagine the income running in tune of millions of Rupees earned by these “favorite approved plants”!
The DPP played a significant role by extending blessings to a few “favorite approved HWT plants “and adopting deliberate “delaying tactics” in facilitating monopoly of these plants not only badly hurt huge amount of money invested by the owners of HWT plants but also foiled sincere extensive efforts of the Federal Govt. as well Association (PFVA) to reduce cost of the treatment by increasing the number of approved HWT plants.
The fruit & vegetable Association (PFVA) has demanded from Mr. Fakhar Imam, the Federal Minister of National Food Security & research to issue necessary directive for conducting an investigation on the gross negligence of the DPP, working against the “National Interest” and strict exemplary disciplinary action be taken against the “officials of the Department “involved in this “unfair, unethical and unjust” planned “game of trade”! By improving acute shortage of staff and recruitment of honest, dedicated and devoted officers replacing the “dishonest & corrupt” officers in the DPP, the efficiency of this important department can be greatly improved
