According to Pakistani media reports, mango exports worth Rs400 million were stuck at the border with Iran due to negligence on part of some officials of commerce ministry and Customs.
It is feared that this year only around 800 tons of mango would be exported to Iran against the estimate of 15,000 tons export under normal circumstances.
In a letter to the Federal Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah Pakistani exporters expressed that presently the border is open for alternate days from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Traders have complained that due to these limited timings and the number of trucks, mango export is likely to suffer losses as much as $714,000 which is equivalent to more than a billion rupees.
So far, 60 trucks are parked at the Taftan border stocked with mango. If these trucks stay here for long, the fruit may go bad, they said.
The traders have demanded that the number of trucks allowed for trade should be increased to 150 and the timings and days of the border should be increased.
A leading mango exporter Babar Durrani, while talking to media said Pakistan-Iran border had been completely sealed during the last month as part of lockdown measures against the spread of COVID-19.
He said now the border crossing was open, but exports were allowed on three days only i.e. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays that too for a limited time period from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The time window for mango exports was so short that empty trucks could not reach from the Iranian side to carry away mangoes owing to the traffic related to the trade of LPG and other commodities.
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