Influential group in Karachi and Sistan & Balochistan monopolizes mango exports to Iran
ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan’s rice and corn exports suffered due to sanitary and phytosanitary concerns, the country’s mango exports are now in jeopardy, as an influential group of mango hot water treatment plants (mango-HWTP) and their exporters allegedly bypasses phytosanitary procedures particularly phytosanitary treatment with the tacit support of a powerful Iranian clearing agent and some official of National Agri Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA) and defunct Department of Plant Protection (DPP), insiders warn.
According to reliable sources, two Karachi-based hot water treatment plants, RMC Hot Water Treatment Plant and Get Fresh Hot Water Treatment Plant—run by sisters Shazia Mateen and Shumaila Mateen, have monopolized mango exports to Iran from last year, allegedly in collaboration with Iranian clearing agent Muhammad Shaikhi Nezhad based at Meer Javeh border crossing in Sistan and Balochistan province of Iran. Mr. Sheikhi was controlling this monopoly earlier through pak-horti-fresh HWT plants Karachi and Lutfabad HWT plant Multan.
In a letter dated May 28, 2025, sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by Pak-Turk International Company Pakistan, it has been complained that the Mateen sisters with support of former MNA Khwaja Suhail Mansoor from Karachi and Irani clearing agent Mr. Sheikhi are at the center of this monopolistic network. The letter accuses them of manipulating regulatory systems on both sides of the Pakistan-Iran border.
What raises more concern is that Mr. Shaikhi, reportedly a cousin of Iranian Agriculture Minister Muhammad Ali Nekbakht, is said to have leveraged his position to secure a monopoly over Pakistani mango imports into Iran. The exporter alleges that Mr. Sheikhi managed posting of Mrs. Maryam Jalili Moghadam, phytosanitary and plant quarantine deputy director as head of plant protection organization (PPO) of Iran to control all plant quarantine related activities at meer javeh border crossing. Ministry of industry, mines and trade and Agriculture issued exclusive import permit to Mr. Sheikhi for import of mangoes @13,200 Toman per kilogram mangoes but Shaikhi’s group allegedly charges @ 50,000 Toman per Pakistani truck at the Iranian entry point—an operation reportedly handled exclusively by the same group on both sides.
Inspection, audits bypassed:
The letter has reportedly complained that Mateen sisters have installed two mango hot water treatment plants having non-food graded stainless steel made water tanks, chains, motors, rods, feeding units etc., of 120 feet long against standard operating procedure (SOP) of DPP. The 120 feet long treatment tanks have around 5 metric tons (MT) per hour disinfestation treatment capacity and lack system to hold mangoes sub-merged in water by 12 cm deep that leaves mangoes floating at water surface that makes the phytosanitary treatment ineffective. The fixed sensors are not fitted at the places recommended by SOP to fix cool pockets and water circulation system in water tanks. The data logger model does not print automatic treatment sheets from attached printers that show water temperature reading with plant speed at every one to five minutes as per SOP.
The exporter disclosed that Mateen sisters copy data on USB from the data logger and then open it in computer and change it according to NAFSA—DPP requirements and hand over to exporters and DPP to obtain phytosanitary certificates. For making and certification of these fake treatment certificate, Mateen sisters achieves posting of inspectors from NAFSA and SGS and Baltic Control preshipment inspection agencies at their HWT plants as per their choice.
Despite significant deficiencies in infrastructure and non-compliance with standard protocols, the two HWT plants in Karachi were first approved by team of Entomologists viz. Mr. Muhammad Umar Rathore and Mr. Muhammad Tayyab from DPP last year. The complaint disclosed that the false audit report approving 15 metric per tons capacity has been made reportedly by these inspectors in exchange of 1.5 million rupees bribe.
Iranian inspectors further approved these HWT plants as such based on false reports of DPP inspectors without any formal audit with 15 MT of mangoes during his visit in Pakistan last year. Sources claim that Mr. Sheikhi sent Irani teams to Pakistan of his own choice due to his political connections in plant protection organization and agriculture ministry Iran with particular instruction to extend capacity of HWT plants of Mateen sisters and reduce capacity and suspend HWT plants of their competitors or continue their suspension.
The NAFSA in Pakistan has implemented stricter SOP requiring full capacity audits, video online monitoring of mango carrying trucks at arrival and departure from plants and at Taftan land border port, electronic documentation, and phytosanitary certification on start of this current mango season. But insiders allege that Mateen sisters and other influential exporters are not happy with new SOPs and resisting this online scrutiny and full capacity audit—threatening quarantine officials with transfers, suspension, terminations, and even retaliation, while declaring support from Special Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and MNAs and MPA,s of ruling government.
However, Mr. Tahir Abbas, Director General NAFSA / DPP in his recent online meeting last Saturday with HWT plant owners made them clear that not a single mango will be allowed to be exported to Iran without agreed HWT in MOU between DPP and PPO under any cost as per policy of the federal minister and secretary ministry of national food security and research. Mateen sisters did not attend that online meeting in rage.
Influence over quarantine officials:
Shazia Mateen is allegedly pressurizing DG Tahir Abbas and Dr. Muhammad Ishfaque, Director Technical to accredit RMC and Get Fresh HWT plants without formal audit with 15 tons mangoes and depute inspectors of her own choice—including entomologist Abdul Samad and officer Umar Rathor—be posted to her treatment facilities like previous year. These officials neither hesitate to issue fake treatment certificates without standardized HWT nor know how about HWT SOPs.
Last year, Mateen sisters further obtained all phytosanitary certificates from DPP based on fake treatment certificates issued by Abdul Samad etc., and sent directly to Mr. Sheikhi that later, used these certificates to get untreated mangoes trucks cleared at Sarakhm border crossing / Meer Javeh land port by charging prices at his will, enabling continued exports in violation of official guidelines. Muhammad Umar Rathore has also been supporting Mateen sisters by delaying verification email to PPO Iran relating to other HWT plants, sources privy to DPP disclosed.
To counter the growing scrutiny and obtain fake treatment certificates and deceitful phytosanitary certificates by HWT plants for export of mangoes to Iran, MoNFS&R recently instructed the installation of CCTV cameras at all hot water treatment plants. These would be linked to a central command and control room for 24/7 monitoring.
However, sources allege that the Shazia Mateen sisters and her group is also lobbying to have posted inspectors at their plants and in the control room as per names given by them, allowing them to manipulate reports and suppress rival exporters. Due to lack of placement of their favourite inspectors and Dr. Muhammad Ishfaque stand not to consider 15 tons per hour capacity until audit with same weight of mangoes, Mateen sisters could neither obtain accreditation nor export mangoes for the past 10 days.
It is alleged that the name of 10 inspectors, earlier deputed at HWT plants, were withdrawn from the list of inspectors that were selected for supervision and monitoring of mango HWT reportedly on the wish of these mafia. Mr. Bilal Haider, joint secretary, MoNFS&R has issued such instructions to the DG, NAFSA / DPP after a deal with Mateen sisters. Sources privy to industry said.
Inspection visits suspended:
Perhaps the most concerning allegation is that the group has influenced the cancellation of routine Iranian inspectors’ inspection visits this year, particularly those aimed at auditing previously suspended and newly installed plants. As a result, only the Mateen-owned plants remain active for Iranian-bound mango treatment, allowing them to charge fees at will, with no checks on quality or legality.
Under an MOU between DPP and PPO made during 2022, PPO, Iran may suspend HWT plant on interception of mangoes for one year and its further restoration is subject to audit and permission of DPP Pakistan because DPP raised this issue with Iranian counterpart that there are number of technical reasons for interceptions of mango shipment even after disinfestation treatment i.e., mainly cross infestation during transportation of mangoes in open trucks, poor packaging with uncovered aeration holes in packages, transferring of mangoes from one open truck to other at border crossing.
With Pakistan’s agricultural exports under international scrutiny, such allegations—if proven true—could cause irreparable damage to the country’s reputation and trade relations, especially with Iran. Industry stakeholders are now calling for an urgent and impartial investigation into what they describe as a “mango monopoly mafia” endangering one of Pakistan’s key export sectors.
