The Chief Executive Officer Punjab Board of Investment & Trade (PBIT), Saadat Muzaffar and Director Agriculture, Dairy and Livestock PBIT, Arshad Hussain Hashmi on Monday visited Multan to meet the members of the Mango Growers Association Pakistan (MGAP) and Mango Growers Co-operative Society Limited Multan.(MGCSL).
Speaking to the members of MGCSL the CEO PBIT said that PBIT has premeditated special programme and incentives for the development of Mango Industry in Punjab to enable access of mango fruit to foreign markets. He said that PBIT will help mango growers to develop contemporary infrastructure for mango export and his visit to Multan was to interact with the members of MGAP and MGCL and learn about the problems and impediments being faced by the Mango Industry.
He said that it is now in the mandate of PBIT to invite interested importers from the developed countries to investment in the infrastructure and mango processing industry under joint ventures with the mango growers for value added returns to the mango growers. He said PBIT has a special directorate for Agriculture, Dairy and Livestock and a resolve to facilitate Mango growers for the development of Mango Industry.
The president Mango Growers Co-operative Society Limited, Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi welcomed the CEO PBIT to the Mango City of Pakistan and briefed him about the inherent problems of the Mango Growers. The members of MGCSL said that Pakistan being the fourth biggest producer of World mango do not have access to Research and development portfolio and desired establishment of a contemporary Central Mango Research Institute in Multan. They said that there is a need to develop basic On-Farm infrastructure for pre and post harvest handling and contemporary Pack Houses. The Mango Growers desired that the mango fruit meant for export should only be procured from the growers' orchards and not from Fruit and vegetable markets to enable mango fruit to retain its quality.
The growers demanded that PBIT should arrange Mango Exhibitions in foreign Countries and ensure participation of Mango Growers. The members of MGCSL desired establishment of Mango Pulp and Mango processing industry in the spread of mango growing areas, as cottage industry and a vigorous global marketing campaign for our value added products. They desired a credible status to the Mango Growers Association Pakistan and MGCSL and requested PBIT to work closely with the growers body.
The meeting was attended by Malik Waqas Ahmed Awan, Major Zahid Ali Bukhari (Retd), Sarfraz Ahmed Bhatti, Syed Hassan Askari Gardezi, Mehr Maqbool Jangla, Syed Khizer Abbas Bukhari, Dr Azhar Abbas Gardezi, Malik Faiz Rasool Awan, Amjad Sargana, Muhammad Mohsin Thaheem, Peerzada Qamar Hussain and Omer Bukhari.
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