In Pakistan, the age-old passion for mangoes is in peril
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Growing mango orchards is an art that requires skill and passion. In older times, people would bury mango stones a few inches deep in the soil and after watering, they would sprout. If the young plants were protected from goats, sheep and mischief, its foliage, branches and stem height would rise. In a few years time, you might set your chair under your own jungle’s dense shadow-- an escape from the searing summer temperatures of southern Punjab and Sindh.
Mangoes are not difficult to grow in any Pakistani climatic zone, but the best results are seen in hot areas where mercury these days soars to above 44 degrees. In our cultural folklore, the shadow of the mango tree is a proverbial place of longing and meetings among friends and lovers. And then when the fruit is harvested, family, friends and neighbors, all wait impatiently for their share. Once it is ripe to be picked, the mango will need a few more days wrapped up in layers of old newspapers or buried deep in a pile of wheat hay.
If you grow a mango tree from seed, you cannot be sure about its size, taste or variety. The genetics work their own ways and spring surprises; some may not be good for eating but best for making pickles. In the villages of Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, ladies rival in skill to prepare mango pickles, storing it in earthenware deep in mustard oil. There is now a large-scale pickle industry, and among all the rest, the mango pickle is the top pick for the local market and exports to foreign countries.
Pakistan has enormous horticultural potential in every possible fruit type but the climatic conditions are perfect for mango cultivation over a vast area. Currently, Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes of which only 130,000 on average get exported, and fetch about $72 million.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais
Mango horticulture has drastically changed over the past half century in Pakistan. Sadly in the market, the local (grown out of seed) varieties of mangoes that our forefathers had known are no longer available. Only passionate growers may have retained them in the orchards, as every grower has moved to marketable grafted varieties. We raise nurseries within the orchard by sowing seeds and graft the plants by our choice of a particular variety. There are now thousands of professional mango plant nurseries and sellers and you can order any variety you like. My own choice is growing close to the orchard, as shifting is easier and plant casualties in the process will be minimal.
Growing up as a child in district Rajanpur of southern Punjab, I fancied a mango tree in the front yard of my house, its big yellow fruit hanging over my head and I, sitting guard with exclusive rights to the crop.
I tried growing one but failed. 40 years ago when I was about to complete my education in the United States, I firmed my plans to raise a mango orchard. Without an inch of land and single tree, I even explored exporting mangoes to the Middle East through two my Arab class-fellows and friends from Libya and the UAE. They would laugh off my loud proposal. I invested my savings 30 years ago for my orchard, and though I am not sure if my mangoes are ever going to the Middle East, my childhood dream of a mango tree overshadowing the yard has come true.
Progressive mango farmers have played a critical role in introducing new varieties, while preserving well-known old ones. One can identify over 200 varieties of mangoes grown here, each with a different color, size, taste, aroma and time of ripening. However, driven by consumer demand, the growers seem to be focusing on just a few varieties like Anwar Ratol, Chaunsa, Sindhari and Langra. Latin American cultivars— Keitt and Sensation that mature late in the fall are becoming increasingly popular for exports.
Pakistan has enormous horticultural potential in every possible fruit type but the climatic conditions are perfect for mango cultivation over a vast area. Currently, Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes of which only 130,000 on average get exported, and fetch about $72 million. Last year, 41 percent of Pakistani mango exports went to the Middle East, with the UAE topping the list by importing 33,019 tons, and Saudi Arabia importing around 7,000 tons. But all in all, Pakistan exports merely 10 percent of its mango produce, which keeps prices low and hurts growers financially. The question is: Despite the passion, how long can growers survive if the financial benefits of our mango orchards never blossom?
- Rasul Bakhsh Rais is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS, Lahore. His latest book is “Islam, Ethnicity and Power Politics: Constructing Pakistan’s National Identity” (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Twitter: @RasulRais
