MIRPURKHAS, April 20: The area under cultivation of mangoes has been reduced by 2,000 hectares in Mirpurkhas because of shortage of water, diseases and other problems.This was stated by director of the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute of Mirpurkhas Atta Hussain Soomro.
Some time ago, mangoes were cultivated over 10,000 hectares but presently over 8,000 hectares, he said.
Now Matiari district was on top, Sanghar was on number two while Mirpurkhas was on the third position in the production of mango in the province.
He said that the district of Mirpurkhas produced 38,234 tons of mangoes in 2009 and this year’s expected produce was 40,000 tons if adequate water was supplied in the lower Sindh.
Mango crop has been hit by an acute shortage of water and disease particularly in Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts.
Shortage of water is affecting taste of the fruit, reducing its size and leading to dropping of unripe mangoes from trees. Diseases have also become a threat to the produce.
Mr Atta Hussain Soomro said that there were two categories of mango diseases: one was seasonal and the other was constant disease.
He said that sudden death syndrome was the disease like cancer and for its treatment injections were administered to mango trees. He said that mango trees might be saved if at an initial stage its treat ment was started.
He asked the owners of orchards for repeated survey of their crops to ensure maintenance of the mango trees. He said that 90 per cent mango orchards had been affected by anthracnose disease that affected the production and quality of mango trees.
He said that mango orchards were spread on 51,000 hectares in the province and regretted that acute shortage of water in Mirpurkhas district had caused less production of mango.
Mango production would have bumper crop this year if the adequate water supply was ensured in Sindh, particularly in the lower parts, he said, adding that due to less income from mango crop, growers were giving priority to other crops, reducing production in the province.
He said that modern technology was being adopted as high density planting was being made under which plants of mango in an acre would be increased from 35 trees to 475 trees and expressed the hope that Mirpurkhas would produce 50,000 to 55,000 tons of mango in future.
With the help of modern techniques, size of mango was also being reduced from 40 feet to 15 feet and its spread would be cut from 35 feet to seven feet, he said.
He said that drip system was being introduced at the research centre also because the government was providing 80 per cent subsidy on drip system and added that after adopting the drip system expenses on the mango crop would be reduced.
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