FAISALABAD: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad scientists claim to have identified 10 new indigenous mango varieties that will increase production, fight diseases and grab international market.

UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmed told this at a seminar titled “Characterisation of native and potential mango varieties in relation to Ceratocystics manginecans and other economic traits” held at the university on Wednesday.

He said scientists analysed 471 germplasms of mango from four corners of the country and selected 10 of them having high potential. He said Pakistan was blessed with rich mango germplasm from ancient Himalayan mountains of Kashmir to the fertile plains of Punjab.

Efforts to identify mango varieties were conducted by four institutes including Institute of Horticulture Sciences, Plant Pathology Department, Centre for Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology of UAF and Horticulture Sciences Dept of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.

The VC said: “It is a matter of grave concern that 40 per cent of our children are suffering from malnutrition. He urged the scientists, educators and policymakers to devise mechanism to fight challenges.”

Dr Louis Ferguson from the University of California, Davis, said: “They are launching four major projects on mango with the UAF aimed at decreasing post-harvest losses, diversified cultivation and to develop value-added products including mango leather and mango seed oil.”

She said Pakistan is the fourth largest mango producing country in the world.

Director General Research Punjab Dr Abid Mahmood said they had launched a project on Controlled Atmosphere Technology as a move to meet the international standards by promoting it.

He said mango having low sweetness be grown to export to the countries where people like less sweet fruit.

Dr Ishtiaq Rajwana from BZU said the country was losing 40pc of production in the post-harvest losses.

He stressed the need to adopt modern practices in order to increase the productivity.

He said work on multiplication, distribution and commercialisation of the selected varieties had been started.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014