ISLAMABAD: A three-day Mango Festival was organised under the arrangements of the Sardar Group of Companies at the Centaurus Mall in Islamabad where stalls of different breed of mangoes were displayed.
Ambassador to Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov, Narcotics Secretary Arif Nawaz Khan, PGCL Senior Vice President Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Higher Education Executive Director Dr Arshad Ali and MNS Agriculture University Multan Vice Chancellor Dr Asif Ali were also present at the time of the inauguration.
The festival was also attended by agricultural experts, mango growers and representatives of cultivators’ organisations from all over the country. Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Food Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan played a pivotal role in planning, organising and executing the festival. This show was organised under the collaboration of the management of the Centaurus, Inter-University Consortium, MNS Agriculture University and 7 Oceans association.
The basic aim of organising this exhibition at the pioneer mall of Islamabad was not only to highlight the importance of the Pakistani mangoes but also to increase and enhance its export and this exhibition will play an important role in enhancing the productivity of mangoes. Pakistan is the fourth largest producer of mangoes and shares 8% of the production of the mangoes. In Pakistan, the total under cultivation area for mangoes is 170 million hector.
At present, there are multiple breeds of mangoes out of which nine are registered. The famous types of mangoes are Chaunsa, Sindhri, Anwar ratore, and Langra which have no match in taste in the entire world. Moreover, the Punjab government has taken multiple steps in the field of agriculture which would ensure more production of mangoes and revenue generation and in this all role of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan can never be undermined and shall be remembered as an initiator.
In a very short duration of the caretaker government, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has initiated revolutionary steps for the development of the agricultural field, a continuation of which shall pay an important role in the country’s development. Tanveer Ilyas has also donated a sum of Rs 2 crores in a personal capacity to the MNS Agriculture University which is a very noble step and no such precedence exists.
His this deed will act as a beacon and source of inspiration for others. The total production of mangoes in year 2015-16 was approximately 17 lacs 5 thousand and 80 tons whereas export was 64 thousand and 112 tons. Last year, Pakistani mangoes were exported to many new countries out of which Japan, America, Lebanon, Marakish and South Korea are on the top of the list.
