April 2, 2002	Tuesday	Muharram 18,1423

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MULTAN, April 1: The Mango Growers Association (MGA) has voiced its disquiet over the prevailing water shortage fearing it may be destructive for the mango orchards.

A meeting of the association was held here on Monday at the Multan Press Club with MGA president Syed Zahid Gardezi in the chair.

Mango growers complained that orchards had been without water for entire pre and post flowering period and now at the crucial stage of fruit setting the canals in south Punjab were still closed. The meeting observed the mango production would suffer an irreparable loss if the canal water was not made available immediately.

It demanded exemption of abiana (water rate) to growers owing to persistent non-supply of canal water.

The MGA proposed vouchers scheme for the purchase of Light Diesel Oil (LDO) and liberal funding for running and installing tubewells.

Water research institutes must promote water technology for its judicious use besides promoting the use of hydrometers to register water need of trees and a feedback to growers in this regard, it said.

The MGA though appreciated the enhancement in the amount of credit allocation, it apprehended that the high interest rate would only benefit to non-serious borrowers. “Agriculture is either low-return or sometime no-return business so it needs to be safeguarded for sustainable development,” it said.

The meeting also demanded liberal funding for ‘project loans’ to promote agro-based industry of grading, packing and processing of fresh fruit and vegetables, including mango.

Reviewing the current crop position, the MGA expressed satisfaction over the favourable weather condition. It was however reported that there were pest attack and visible malformation due to slight variation in climate in recent days.

Growers were advised to cut the malformed panicles in green stage to prevent loss to the quality of fruit.

The meeting underlined the need to boost mango export in order to enable the growers to get better returns. Mango growers be provided shops in fruit markets besides representation on the market committees, it added.