Multan's mango gifting tradition in peril

Low production, pests, weather make premium produce scarce

MULTAN:

Among its many identities, Multan proudly carries the title of the city of gift-givers during the mango season when thousands of people send boxes of the famous fruit to relatives, friends and colleagues across the country and abroad.

For the residents, mango gifting is not just a seasonal practice but a symbol of love, respect and lasting relationships. Carefully packed mango boxes often become a way to reconnect with old friends, honour teachers, thank customers and keep family bonds strong despite distance. A box of premium Multani mangoes carries emotional value far beyond the fruit itself.

However, this year, the cherished tradition has faced difficulties as growers struggle with reduced production and declining fruit quality.

District Multan, home to more than 15,000 mango growers, has witnessed a challenging season due to extreme temperatures, pest attacks and repeated windstorms. The problems have affected not only growers but also the tradition of sending high-quality mango gifts.

Mango grower Shahid Hameed Bhutta from Muzaffargarh said the season initially appeared promising as orchards had strong flowering, but sudden temperature changes during that stage prevented many flowers from developing into fruit. He added that a severe attack of a pest locally known as "taila" had damaged the crop and multiple rounds of pesticide sprays had failed to fully curb the problem.

He said strong winds throughout the season had caused additional losses by knocking down fruit from trees before proper ripening, reducing both quantity and quality.

According to him, the availability of export-quality mangoes has also declined, making it difficult for growers to prepare premium boxes for gifting.

Nawabpur grower Malik Laique Sheikhana said his orchard, which usually produced around 1,600 maunds of mangoes annually, had yielded only about 200 maunds this year. He said even within this limited harvest, finding spotless and gift-quality mangoes was a major challenge, forcing him to carefully select fruit before preparing boxes for friends and relatives.