When we talk about mangoes, we recall the sweet produce of nature— the Samar Behisht, Chaunsa, Anwar Ratool, Sindhri and other such delicious varieties abundantly grown in southern Punjab and Sindh.

When we think of mangoes in terms of people and influence, our mind races to the areas predominantly adored by politicians, influential mango growers and ruling elite — Khangarh, Larkana, Wasaywala, Sindhri, Pir Jo Goth, Kitty Jatoi, Jaati Umrao, Murad Jamali and, of course, the GHQ.

The residents of these areas have traded pleasantries, courtesies and mangoes between each other while they have kept the nation divided. Our most senior and respected politician from Khangarh is said to distribute a truck load of mangoes every year to friends, politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats and men in uniform. The famous Pir Sahib of Sindh shares more than just mangoes with everybody: he knows the fine art of astrology and feeds the nation from time to time with his predictions.

The mango has interested our judiciary as well. A poor old Teeja Singh, renamed as Deendar when he became a Muslim, narrated a story about his litigation with an influential tenant of his allotted land. Once, on his way to attend a hearing of his case, he happened to pass through a mango orchard. While squatting under a mango tree, he noticed a large mango hanging amongst the branches at the top. Deendar quickly climbed the tree and plucked it. As he was called for appearance before the court, the judge, an ardent lover of mango farming, saw the fruit in his hand and enquired about the name of the variety of mango. Deendar was ignorant but promised to take the judge to the orchard. The case was decided in favour of the poor Deendar the same day.

Mangoes play a big role in world economics as well. Many producing countries are cashing on their good taste and international acceptance, as the demand of fresh mango is on the rise at unprecedented rate in global fruit markets. But in Pakistan, which is the region of origin of this exotic fruit, the mango and its growers have been criminally ignored.

The mango should be declared as our national fruit and our yearly tree plantation campaign should commence by planting a healthy sapling of mango in the presidency, headquarters of our three defence services including the GHQ and all important avenues and civil headquarters. We already have a large spread of mango trees in cantonments in the mango producing areas of the country. These trees add to the beauty of their otherwise quiet and secluded atmosphere.

Pakistan has been gifted with extensive horticulture produce but our mango stands above all in global acceptance and liking. Our growers are disillusioned and depressed due to innumerable production and marketing constraints. Farming has become a nightmare especially due to considerable increase in cost of agriculture inputs, low productivity and inadequate marketing structure for a fair return to the growers. Many mango orchards have been axed for better alternative incomes. Many are haunted by a catastrophic disease of “Quick Decline”.

The mango has gained significant importance in agriculture exports world over and shares 15 per cent of the global fruits and vegetable trade. We have been unable to penetrate the major world market importers of mango — the US, Netherlands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Central Asian States are our untapped outlets.

Fresh mangoes are highly perishable and are not acceptable if marketed without proper pre- and post-harvest handling. It is necessary to airfreight them with minimal handling so that they arrive firm to ripen satisfactorily and yet have a longer shelf life. Research to increase the shelf life of mango should be a part of our adaptive technology so that fruit can be sea- freighted at cheaper cost.

We can safely claim that Pakistan can never be in a position to display quality mangoes for export in spite of its acceptance in fruit market unless its handling time is drastically reduced and the export is carried under “Cold Chain Transportation” the latest state of art in post-harvest handling. The mango to be exported should be procured directly from the orchards instead of far away fruit markets where it reaches in wooden crates totally bruised.

There is a need for new generation of exporters, conscious of super markets requirements. Agriculture produce world over is traded with brand name or “logo”. We should endeavour to promote our finest variety of mango and forget the intricacies of promoting larger number of mango varieties not in demand.

No serious thought has been given to obtain real benefits from the agriculture economy of Pakistan and our entire efforts to project Pakistan as a developed country revolved around acquiring bullet trains, luxury cars, cellular phones, motorways and of course imported diet jams. Modern airports are built at all the constituencies of influential parliamentarians while the public transport has not been attended to at all. There are no “Larri Addas” worth its name anywhere. Roads await the goodwill of the uniformed FWO and are in pitiable conditions. Travelling by trains has become a nightmare as you see doors of the compartment bogey fall on innocent travellers and the floors collapse in transit; agrarian towns and centres have not been developed. The wide spread of exotic fruits and vegetables grown in Pakistan have been totally ignored as our entire agro economy has been tuned to mono crop culture (cotton). The Mango City of Pakistan, Multan has yet to figure as an important agro centre of the country even being the oldest living city of the world having greater historical significance as well.

The major contributors to the economy of Pakistan in the new millennium will be our horticulture produce, as such the Mango Growers Association is at the forefront of advocating corrective intervention to prevent a collapse of our entire agriculture activity.

Multan Airport should be upgraded with a modern cargo complex to handle palletized perishable cargo. An international mango show be held every year in Multan to be visited by foreign buyers to give wide exposure to Pakistan mango. Such event can be a part of our tourism promotion as well where the Mango Growers Association would arrange visits of the buyer to fruit orchards around Multan.

A mango disease diagnostic and research laboratory with facility to test pesticide residue has become a necessity in Multan. Lack of appropriate technology, ineffective management skill and inadequate marketing structure are the areas of intervention without which the fear of loosing the cutting edge inculcated by nature in shape of superior flavour and taste of Pakistan mango will go to ruins. There is a need to transfer technology to farmers through participatory approach with the assistance of the Mango Growers Association.

(The writer is the President of the Mango Growers Association.)