MULTAN, July 12: The Mango Task Force (MTF), in its second meeting on Tuesday, underlined the need for the earliest possible start of work on 100-acre agriculture export processing zone here to enhance export. The task force, comprising 17 members, including mango growers, traders, exporters and officials, said improvement in infrastructure would help get maximum benefits from recently signed MoUs with China and Iran.

Presided over by its chairman, EDO (agriculture) Saifullah Khan, the meeting also discussed and identified orchards in Multan and its adjoining areas where growers were adopting better agronomic practices, including tackling fruit fly.

Mango Growers Association president Syed Zahid Husain Gardezi, a member of the task force, said there were orchards over 500 acre each in Kabirwala and Chak 5 Faiz and a 100-acre orchard in Muzaffarabad where growers were adopting three-pronged strategy to combat fruit fly including immediate removal of rotten mangoes after they fall from trees, installation of pheromone traps and main annihilation traps. He stressed on the need to implement the strategy in more orchards.

The meeting said the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEB), the Export Promotion Bureau and the Export Development Fund (EDF) should ensure that work on the zone should begin without any delay.

PHARMACY: Girl outshone boys in Diploma in Pharmacy first professional, second annual examinations, held under the aegis of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU). According to the result gazette issued on Tuesday, 132 students took the examination — 37 girls and 95 boys. Of them, 51 — 19 girls and 32 boys — were declared successful.—APP