MULTAN, July 5 As the Agro Food Processing Facility (Mango Pulp Plant) started test production here on Saturday with its management claiming that it would provide mango growers from southern Punjab a lot of opportunities to add value to their produce, some stakeholders were sceptic about the success of the project.

Agro Food Processing Facility Board of Management Chairman Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi says the facility is aimed at helping growers add value to their produce and imbibe new confidence in a sector, which is lagging behind in terms of patronisation and growth. He says the plant, which spreads on 32 kanals and has cost the government Rs288.92 million, will produce pulp of mango and guava, tomato paste and puree. It will provide fresh fruit and vegetable grading and packing facility in addition to clod storage and freezing room facilities.

Khawaja Shoaib of Farmers Vision Forum says the plant cannot become operational to its full capacity without private sector's help. He suggested that 20 per cent shares of the plant should be auctioned to the private sector to make it a success.

Mango grower Tariq Khan says he fears that the facility will not benefit mango growers because it will only produce pulp. “What will growers do with the pulp, which they will get in return for their mango, as there is no mechanism for the marketing of pulp?” He says that collecting C grade mango for pulp will be a hectic process because farmers have no grading facility.

Kisan Board President Fayazul Hassan Bhutta says there are three categories of mango farmers big, medium and small.

He says big farmers are owners of more than 50-acre mango orchards, medium farmers are owners of 12.5 to 50-acre orchards and small farmers own 12.5-acre or less than that mango orchards.

“All these farmers sell their orchards to middlemen in the very beginning of the mango season so they are no more owners of their fruit. As a result, they have nothing to do with the pulp plant.” He says that even middlemen are not in a position to vend their fruit because they get money in advance from people of other cities.

But Gardezi thinks otherwise, as he says “Initially, farmers may face difficulties in terms of transportation of mango to the plant and marketing of pulp, but their problems will diminish with the passage of time and the plant will become a profitable unit for them as well as the government.”

He says a board of management consisting of agriculturists, businessmen and public sector nominees will run the plant on a no profit no loss basis. A grower will be elected chairman of the board, he adds.

Gardezi says the centre will procure B grade mango from growers, process it into high grade pulp with its state of art machinery and market it to local and international food companies. “Small and medium growers normally dish out all their produce to middlemen because of a repressive marketing layout.

Now they will be able to strike better deals even with middlemen because they will be getting reasonable rates for their B grade mango from the pulp plant. He says the plant will save farmers from 35 to 40 per cent fruit losses.

He says that Smeda, which is executing this project, has an experienced cadre to handle variable industry in the country. He says an experienced food technologist has been appointed project director along with a qualified manager, allied staff and marketing staff. He says it is the beginning of a new commitment and it demands will and perseverance from growers.