STAFF REPORT IBD: The US Agency for International Developments farms project has successfully assisted 17 mango farms from Punjab and Sindh and attained the renowned Global Good Agriculture Practices (GlobalGap) certification, with a target to complete assistance to a total of 29 farms by the end of the year.
GlobalGap is a set of international standards for the certification of agricultural production processes, primarily designed to reassure consumers in the world market about the production of food on the farm with minimised detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations.
As part of a larger mango programme that included extensive farmer trainings, mango pack house facilities at partner farms, and development of international market linkages, USAID has helped 17 mango farms from Punjab and Sindh to get GlobalGap certified.
With the USAIDs assistance, 12 more small to medium sized mango farms across Pakistan are currently undergoing internal audits to acquire the certification by the end of mango crop season 2012 and a total of 29 mango farms will be GlobalGap certified soon with the USAID Firms projects technical assistance on a cost sharing mechanism.
“We are now better aware of how to improve and standardise the environment in which we process mangoes, increasing buyer confidence in our product,” said Muzaffar Hayat Khakwani, owner of Muzaffarnagar Farms.