Three-day mango festival concludes

Hyderabad: The three-day 55th National Mango and Samar Festival concluded in Mirpurkhas on Sunday. Thousands of people from all over the country participated in the event that featured more than 200 varieties of mangoes. The event began on June 2 at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Hall and Gulista-e- Baldia Park. A total of 42 stalls were set up at the festival where various mango varieties, including Sindri and Chaunsa, were showcased. Farmers of Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Sanghar and other districts decorated dozens of mango varieties on their stalls. A farmer said 60,000 hectares of land in Sindh produced 400,000 metric tons of mangoes. To increase the production and export of mangoes, the government should introduce facilities such as cold storage, he added.

Sindh Agriculture Minister Manzoor Wassan attended the closing ceremony of the festival. He said he was surprised to see more than 200 varieties of mangoes on display at the festival. He said Pakistan could earn foreign reserves by increasing its mango exports. Certificates and cash prizes were distributed among successful farmers in various categories during the event.