Awareness campaign: Drive launched to better mango quality, yield

MULTAN:

The Agriculture Department on Friday launched an awareness campaign in 10 mango-growing districts for growers to adopt safe practices for quality yield.

Talking to newsmen, Punjab Agriculture Information Assistant Director Naveed Asmat Kahloon said the campaign had been launched in Multan, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Bhukkar and Jhang.

He said, farmers would be provided guidance on safe practices and ways to reduce harvest losses. He said they would also be offered advice on storage and transportation.

He said maintenance of mango orchards was necessary for producing quality food.

He said pruning mango trees was an essential feature of mango farming.

“Mango trees usually assume a graceful dome shape, shading the trunk. Currently, some of the farmers are not pruning their trees,” he said.

He said it was necessary that after the harvest, diseased, dried and broken branches should be pruned off.

He said lack of awareness of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards continued to hinder market access.

“Pakistan has limited SPS management capacity to address food safety and animal and plant health. It is imperative that the country develops an integrated, coordinated SPS management and control system. Food safety has become a very significant issue, due the food concerns in the world,” he said.

Kahloon said Pakistan produced juicy, sweet and fragrant mangos. “The fruit matures in 90-140 days after flowering,” he said.

He said with the production of nearly 2 million tonne of mangoes a year, Pakistan was the sixth largest producer of mangoes in the world.

He said in 2013, the country had exported 98,920 tonne of mangoes valued at $57,200,164.

“Pakistan currently exports only five per cent of its mango produce,” he said.

He said some 40 per cent of the fruit was wasted due to improper farming, harvest, processing and transportation.

He said it was essential that mango growers rejuvenate their orchards every three to four years.

He said some 15 to 20 per cent of old wood should be removed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2015.