MULTAN, March 19: Former National Assembly Speaker Syed Fakhar Imam has expressed concern over the dieback disease’s devastation on mango orchards.

He said on Tuesday that growers had been hit by the sudden death of mango trees and plants by fungal dieback or quick decline. This could lead mango growers to economic disaster as the menace had gripped orchards especially in Multan region, he added.

The government should consult horticulture experts to find a remedy to this fungal disease in time, Mr Imam urged.

He said the country’s agriculture had to move from low-value crops to high-value as one of the major factors other than the prices of input and output was marketing of the agriculture products.

He said the mango and citrus cultivation had a prominent place in Pakistan amongst the high-value horticulture crops.

The intermediate processing industry was important to provide a base for future development of fruit crops especially for mango and citrus, he said.

He urged the government to evolve a policy for the domestic and external markets so that growers could invest in these high-value crops which would ensure them returns after a gestation period of five to seven years.