KARACHI: The All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association said on Thursday there was a “significant reduction” in mango production for a third consecutive year due to climate change, which meant the country may not be able to meet its export targets.
The Association has set a target of 100,000 metric tons of mango exports in the current season, with exports expected to start from May 20 with a focus on China, America, Turkiye, Japan, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia.
“The impact of climate change is having a pronounced negative impact on mango orchards in Pakistan, leading to a significant reduction in production and due to non-availability of export quality mangoes, the export target could not be attained last year as well,” Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, said in a statement. 
“This year the export target has been set at 100,000 metric tons, whereas last year the export target was 125,000 metric tons but the export of mango remained at 100,000 metric tons.”
Pakistan produces around 1.8 million metric tons of mangoes annually, of which 70 percent are produced in Punjab province, 29 percent in Sindh and one percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 
“This year, due to weather effects, the production of mango in Punjab is 35-40 percent, while in Sindh it is less than 20 percent and thus the total production is feared to be reduced by 0.6 million metric tons,” Ahmed said. “This estimate was made at the start of production and is likely to increase further as the season progresses.”
With an export target of 100,000 metric tons of mangoes during the current season, Pakistan could earn foreign exchange of $90 million, Ahmed said, adding that the sector, including mango processing, packaging and warehousing, was an over Rs100 billion industry that provided employment to millions of people. 
“The sector is facing problems due to significant increases in costs of electricity, gas, transportation, garden maintenance, pesticides and water management, making it difficult to compete for exports,” Ahmed said.
“The effects of climate change have emerged as the biggest threat to mango production, which can well be gauged from the fact that mango production has declined for the third year in a row.”
Ahmed said long winters, rains and hail, combined with severe heat waves, had changed the pattern of agricultural diseases in Pakistan:
“There is certainly a lack of serious efforts at the federal and provincial levels to protect the agricultural sector from the effects of climate change, particularly through research enabling the orchards of mangoes and other fruits to develop sufficient endurance to sustain against the tough weather conditions and reduction in disease resistance. Research-based solutions must be found urgently to address this, otherwise mango production and export will be at risk.”
The association called on federal and provincial agricultural research centers to work on an emergency basis to help farmers deal with the effects of climate change.
“In order to continue the production and export of mangoes, it is imperative to develop new varieties of mangoes that are compatible with the climatic changes in Pakistan,” Ahmed said.
“Similarly, prevention of diseases and supply of suitable agricultural pesticides are also needed to minimize the effects of climate change.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has established two control rooms, one each in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to facilitate Hajj pilgrims, the religion ministry confirmed on Wednesday, as thousands of Pakistanis continue to arrive in Saudi Arabia ahead of the annual Islamic pilgrimage. 
Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) has confirmed that around 15,819 pilgrims from the country have arrived in Saudi Arabia weeks before the Hajj begins. 
This year, 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under government and private schemes. Pakistan kicked off a month-long flight operation last week. Five airlines— PIA, Saudi Airlines, Airblue, Serene Air, and Air Sial— will operate 259 flights from eight major Pakistani cities to Jeddah and Madinah till June 9.
The government intends to facilitate thousands of Pakistani pilgrims through Hajj control rooms to ensure their pilgrimage remains free from hassles.
“We have established two control rooms: a main control room in Makkah and a branch office in Madinah to facilitate the pilgrims,” Muhammad Umer Butt, a religious affairs ministry spokesperson, told Arab News via phone from Madinah.
He said both control rooms in Makkah and Madinah would facilitate pilgrims 24 hours throughout the day. 
“All pilgrims are provided with a card they wear for identification, and on the back of each card, the control room numbers are listed so they can contact the control room by phone in case of any emergency or complain,” Butt explained. 
He said this year Pakistan has followed the Saudi government’s lead in digitizing Hajj through the Pak Hajj mobile application. Butt said the app provides all necessary information, including the ability to lodge complaints and track their status. 
“We have a live dashboard established in the control room under the complaint management system which showed all the details of complaints received and solved, movement of the pilgrims and other general queries,” he shared.
During the last seven days, the spokesperson said 195 complaints received through the Pak Hajj mobile app have been resolved, and 25 pilgrims who lost their way to their respective destinations in the holy cities were guided.
He added that the Loss and Found department located 111 bags and seven wheelchairs which were handed over to their owners. 
Butt said as Pakistani Hajj pilgrims were currently arriving in Madinah, the control room there was more active compared to the one in Makkah and was staffed with 54 personnel, and 18 Hajj assistants (Muaveneen). 
“These pilgrims will go to Makkah from May 17 after their eight-day stay in Madinah,” he said.
Butt said the Makkah control room was staffed with only eight people as Pakistani pilgrims have not started to arrive in the holy city yet.
“Along with this all adviseries issued by the Saudi government and Pakistani Hajj mission are also uploaded on the application through these control rooms,” he said.