Mango export: ‘Packaging requirements hold back small farmers’

68 varieties displayed at three-day festival.

RAHIM YAR KHAN:

Small farmers from Rahim Yar Khan can export their mango produce if government assists them with packaging in accordance with the international standards, Executive District Officer (Agriculture) Zafaryab Haider said on Saturday.

He was speaking to the media on the second day of a Mango Festival.

He said currently only large farm owners were exporting mangoes from the district that contributed 36 per cent to the country’s mango produce.

He said exports could increase significantly if small and medium farm owners were helped with the packaging of the mangoes.

The EDO (Agriculture) also briefed the visitors on the second day, most of them families, about 68 mango varieties displayed at the festival.

As many as 495 farmers are participating in the three-day event. The first day was open to all but only families were allowed to visit the festival on the second day on Saturday. A mango eating competition would be organised on the concluding day (today).

District coordination officer Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said Rahim Yar Khan had been organising the festival for eight years to promote mango farming in the region.

He said the administration would help farmers from the district display their produce in a mango festival to be held later this year at the Expo Centre in Lahore.

The second day also featured a seminar on mango farming. Farmers Association president Chaudry Yasin criticised the federal and the provincial governments for not providing any assistance to mango farmers.

Mureed Abbas Niazi also spoke at the occasion. The festival has been organised jointly by the district administration and the Agriculture Department.

It was inaugurated by District and Sessions Judge Iftikhar Ahmad Khan and DCO Dr Ahmad javed Qazi.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2012.