The 45th annual three-day mango and summer fruits festival will start in Mirpurkhas from June 4 and will continue till June 6. The stalls of mangoes and other seasonal fruits would be set up in the centrally air-conditioned, Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Mango Exhibition Hall which will welcome participants from across the country.

About 500 growers from across Sindh have been invited to participate in this festival, officials of the Managing Committee told APP on Sunday. Also, registration for participation of abadgars in the Festival will be completed by June 3, 2010. The festival will feature a large variety of mangoes and other seasonal fruits, both for the discerning consumers and for export and marketing entrepreneurs. This year, a total of 15 officially registered mango varieties will be placed in the stalls, in three categories viz-early varieties, mid varieties and late varieties.

The early varieties include Zaffran, Sarooly, Dasari and Langra, the mid varieties include Sindhri, Gulab Khasa, Chonsa, Saleh Bahi, Anwar Ratol and Bombay Alfanso while in the late varieties there will be Swornarki, Began Palli, Neelam and Desi Mangoes. Some 185 other varieties of mango will also be on display at the stalls.

Besides mangoes, the festival will also feature bananas, apples, dates, olives, oranges, grapefruits, watermelons, melon, and other fruits. Last year, about 400 growers of mango and summer fruits from Sindh participated in the festival where a total of 200 varieties of mangoes and other summer fruits were displayed, the festival sources said.

District Administrator Mirpurkhas, Ghulam Hussain Memon who is also head of the Festival told APP that the festival is now marked as a national event with the co-operation of Sindh Government, District Government and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).

He said that since this festival is a national event, different programmes have also been planned for providing information, entertainment and a high-class atmosphere to the participants. Elaborating, he said the three-day Minna Bazar (women entertainment event), Sindhi traditional wrestling (malakhro), boxing, fire-works, agriculture education seminar on mango production, care of plants would be part of the festival.

The Administrator added that for providing strict security to the participants, a plan has been formulated under the supervision of DPO Mirpurkhas Muneer Ahmad Shaikh. Heavy contingents of police personnel including women police and plain-clothes personnel would be deputed at all the places of the event, he added.

Apprising about the event, Chairman of Mango Festival Managing Committee Anwer Gundal said Sindh Minister for Agriculture Syed Ali Nawaz Shah will inaugurate the festival on June 4 while Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will be the chief guest at the concluding ceremony on June 6. The CM will distribute shields, cash prizes and other gifts among the best mango orchard owners.

He further said that for the inaugural ceremony of women entertainment bazaar, Sindh Minister for Culture Ms Sassui Palejo and Provincial Minister for Tourism Ms Shazia Mari have been invited.

Famous mango orchard owners of Sindh including that of Junejo Mango Farm, Nawazabad, Kachelo, Rais Khair Muhammad Bhurgari, Seth Khup Chand, Bhugiyo Farm, Lashari Farm, Seth Goband Raam and others have been winning one of the top three positions in the past in terms of quality and quantity of mangoes and other fruits.