MULTAN, April 16: Horticulture will be a major player in the country’s future economy, and Pakistan can earn a huge foreign exchange by exporting a large quantity of its globally-acclaimed mango.

“Though Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of mango globally and the quality and taste of Pakistani mango has mesmerised global connoisseurs, the mango growers are facing unprecedented problems, some of them identical with the entire agriculture community, such as rising costs of fertilisers and other essential inputs (diesel and energy), the scarcity of water resources and dilapidated marketing returns,” said Mango Growers Association President Zahid Hussain Gardezi while talking to Dawn here on Wednesday.

He said mango growers were facing additional trauma of fatal mango diseases of ‘quick decline’ and malformation apart from inimitable threats from quarantine pests which is preventing access to our mango to high value markets.

He said mango orchards were badly damaged by frost in 2006 when nurseries and small plants were annihilated and this year in 2008 the ordeal has been repeated with greater intensity.

He said now there had been a sudden change in weather conditions which had resulted in non-seasonal rains and very severe and sporadic hailstorms in the entire mango-growing region. All these factors have elevated the grievances of mango growers who are now fervently looking towards the government for much wanted relief in shape of exemption from agriculture tax and other government levies for two years, recovery of loans by banks be deferred for a year without additional interest.

The entire area hit by hailstorm should also be declared calamity-hit and growers be extended all the needed help.

He also demanded extraordinary intervention by the government for promotion of marketing infrastructure for mango, including a modern cargo complex at Multan Airport to uplift palletised cargo.

He said Mango Growers Association of Pakistan has been highlighting the genuine issues and grievances of mango growers on all forums and would now share these impediments and bottlenecks with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.