Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah visits a stall at the mango festival in Mirpurkhas on Saturday.—Dawn

MIRPURKHAS: Overshadowed by a ban on the entry of the general public to the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Hall where an exhibition of mango varieties was under way on Saturday, the golden jubilee National Mangoes and Summer Fruits Festival drew to an end with Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah presiding over the concluding ceremony.

The three-day exhibition was held at the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute and drew big crowds of keen visitors from across the country, besides a large number of exhibitors and foreign traders.

Police held several hundred people gathered outside the exhibition venue at bay for security reasons before the chief minister arrived at the institute. The district administration abruptly made an unexpected announcement that members of the general public would not be allowed to enter the exhibition hall on Saturday. Crowds of disappointed people raised slogans against the ban and tried to force their way into the hall prompting police to baton-charge and push them away. Later, most of the people held a demonstration on Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road, away from the exhibition venue, to register their protest.

Police managed to restore peace before the arrival of the chief minister, who visited various stalls and took keen interest in the mango varieties put on display. Over 250 mango varieties, as well as other summer fruits, were exhibited on 50 stalls at the festival.

Speaking to the stall-holders and a select gathering, the chief minister said nearly all varieties of mango grown in Sindh were in great demand across the world. He appreciated growers for their due interest in the crop, and stressed the need for extra efforts towards exporting the maximum volume of the fruit in order to help the country earn optimum foreign exchange out of the seasonal crop.

He noted a remarkable improvement in producing mangoes both in quality and quantity over the years, and pledged all possible facilities to growers in maintaining the progress.

He recounted his government’s measures to promote the agriculture sector, and said continued support would be ensured to encourage growers.

He noted that Mirpurkhas division held the distinction of producing best varieties of mangoes. He also appreciated the efforts made by the festival management committee chairman, Haji Umer Bughio and his team, Mirpurkhas Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar and Deputy Commis­sioner Rasheed Ahmed Zardari, and other officials in making the golden jubilee event a success.

Later, the chief minister distributed shields and cash prizes to winners of a competition among mango growers.

In group A, the first prize went to the Nawazabad Farms; and the second and third prizes were clinched by the Ajay Kumar Farms and the Sadique & Sons, respectively.

In group B, the Allah Bachayo Rajar Farms claimed the first prize and the second and third prizes were won by the Arif Khan Bhurgari Farms and Mohammad Ali Arain Farm, respectively.

In group C, the Rais Illahi Bukhsh Lashari Farms, the Haji Sobdar Khan Lashari Farms and the Wali Mohammed Deshak Farms won the first, second and third prizes, respectively.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2015

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