MULTAN, Oct 8: A meeting of the strategy working group of Mango Growers Association, Pakistan has demanded incentives for better production and exports.

The meeting held here on Sunday with association president Zahid Husain Gardezi in the chair took stock of the mango post-season scenario for 2006.

The meeting observed that though the price of mango this year was high in open market, the entire benefit was reaped by the middleman.

Mr Gardezi said growers had yet to recover from loss of mango trees and nurseries owing to frosty conditions in January this year.

The meeting quoted a survey conducted by the federal, Punjab and Sindh governments, revealing 40 per cent less production and heavy loss to mango orchards in various districts of south Punjab and Sindh this year.

The meeting demanded that mango growers in badly damaged areas should be given interest free loans for a minimum period of five years to enable them to rehabilitate their source of income by plantation of new orchards.

It also demanded that the recovery of loans outstanding in the names of growers in the disaster region should be deferred for at least two years without additional interest and farmers should be allowed to negotiate new loans on the pledged lands.