ISLAMABAD (APP) - Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB) is in process of arranging overseas mango exhibitions to ensure its export at wide range to capture world over markets. The exhibitions planned to be held at Russia, China and Iran soon, as capturing markets of these countries has always been stressed by the growers, an agri news website reported on Wednesday. According to PHDEB chief executive Shamoon Sadiq, efforts are being made to establish an export house in Multan in the next year and three irradiation plants in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. However, proposals would be submitted during the current year to provide complete infrastructure of grading, vexing, and cold chain to ensure preservation of king of fruits. He said primary objective of the Board is to address and resolve problems and issues of Pakistan horticulture sector through long term and timely interventions aimed at improving quality at key areas of the horticulture value chain, ultimately leading to a substantial increase in export from Pak. Shamoon said good agriculture practices are being introduced to cater with WTO requirements in the future survival. At least eight orchards have been selected in this connection and output would be gauged in the next year. He said the drip irrigation is being introduced in horticulture, as a step of pre-harvest planning. The packaging, grading system is being strengthened in connection with post harvest techniques and Rawalpindi based CABI bioscience, which is working for integrated pest management would provide assistance in this regard. Shamoon said in fact mango is most perishable fruit that needs special preservation and care and the entire infrastructure is being developed to attain the required results. A full-fledge export house equipped with grading, vexing and cold storage facilities is being established that would be a joint venture of Punjab government, PHDEB and private sector. The Punjab government would provide land for export house, the PHDEB provide funds from Export Development Fund and assistance sought from the private sector. He said the PHDEB has identified biggest markets for mango export, which are China, Korea, Iran, India and South Africa which countries were thickly populated with handsome buying power. During market infrastructure development it was revealed that brotherly country of Iran with population of 60 million might become a market for Pakistani mangoes. Shamoon said three irradiation plants would be established in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar to prevent from fruit fly attack, micro-biological control of diseases and to increase shelf life of mango.