MIRPURKHAS, April 29: At least 76 varieties of mangoes are produced in the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute, Mirpurkhas, and this district produces more mangoes in comparison to the other districts of Sindh.

The director general, Agriculture Extension, Sindh, Mohammad Akram Malik, said this while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on ‘The export of mangoes’, which was held at the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute here on Tuesday.

He said that research on various fruits including mango was being carried out.

The director, Horticulture Research Institute, Dr Atta Mohammad Soomro, urged mango growers to adopt modern technology to increase export of the fruit.

He said that growers were provided mango plants on nominal charges to make certain varieties common.

The director, Pakistan Horticulture Export Development Board, Mr Sadiqain, said that we were lagging behind in exporting mangoes as we avoid a number of procedures for increasing the export of mangoes.

He stressed the need for organizing an awareness programme at the grassroots level so that the growers could be better informed.

Sajjad Malik asked the growers to use modern facilities by forming groups because such facilities were expensive. In foreign countries, he added, all facilities were available at the farms for exporting their fruits and other produce.

He pointed out that we would have to improve our markets by adopting modern technology.

He asked the growers to give importance to varieties, characteristics, and sowing, adding that other things to be taken care of were optimum harvesting time, maturity indices, etc.