Sindh - The Land of Endless Opportunities

MANGOMANGO

OverviewMango – “King of Fruits” is one of the two most delicious and admired tropical fruits in the world along with pineapple. The fruit is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia and is national fruit of Pakistan, India, and the Philippines. Mango is a highly nutritious and healthful fruit containing rich quantities of prebiotic fibre, vitamins A and C along with smaller quantity of vitamin B, protein, and minerals. Mango is a tropical fruit and thrives in sandy loam soil with hot and dry weather in well-drained land. Water-logging or frost are harmful for the mango tree and fruit. Worldwide there are hundreds of varieties of mangoes with different colours, sizes, shapes, and weights. In general, it has an inedible skin covering juicy pulp underneath with which stone or seed is attached through fibre. India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes while Pakistan is the 6th largest producer. In Pakistan, Sindh and the Punjab are the main producers of mangoes. In Sindh, the main districts where mango is cultivated are Mirpur Khas, Tando Allah Yar, Khairpur, Sanghar, Naushero Feroz, and Matiari.

Market AnalysisSindh produces a large number of mango varieties including Sindhri, Saroli, Dasehri, Sunehra and smaller quantities of species native to the Punjab like Langra, Chaunsa and Anwar Ratol. Of these, 70% of mango production comprises Sindhri, which is considered by many to be the “King of Mangoes.” There are five criteria for judging the quality of mangoes as under: 1. Sweetness should not be excessive 2. Peel should be thin 3. Pulp should be thick with lower fibre content and small stone 4. Colour of peel should be preferably yellow 5. Size should be largeOn all these counts, no mango variety in the world can compete against Sindhri variety from Sindh. The total annual production of mangoes in Pakistan is around 1.6 - 1.8 million tons out of which 0.6 - 0.7 million tons comes from Sindh (40%). Like all crops in Sindh, the true potential of mango production has yet to be realized because productivity per unit of area is low in Sindh at a mere 8 tons per hectare. Smaller landholding, better crop management, and scientific approach to use of inputs will definitely yield higher results.A part from low productivity, traditional lack of processing has created a bad image of mangoes from Pakistan. As a result, average export price of mangoes from Sindh hovers around $ 360 per ton while carefully processed and packaged mangoes from other countries conveniently fetch more than $1000 per ton. In addition, post-harvest management is also lacking. Mangoes should be properly plucked to avoid flow of sap on the peel which causes sap marks alongside encouraging infestation. Mangoes should not be dropped on the ground to avoid physical injuries and cuts because of which infestation and rotting takes place. Also, mangoes should be transported within 12 hours to cold storage or processing plant in order to prolong shelf life and preserve quality.

Sindh - The Land of Endless Opportunities

Investment Opportunities Mango Treatment PlantsProper processing of mango is the dire need of the hour in order to capture big price differential after value addition. For processing of mangoes there are two technologies available: hot water treatment (HWT) and vapour heat treatment (VHT). However, some experts argue that for Pakistani mango hot-water treatment is the best procedure. The plant costs about Rs. 20 million but the returns on this investment are high because treated mangoes sell for around $ 1500 per ton in the international market. Durrani Associates in Karachi are the pioneers in hot-water treatment of mango and their treatment plant is being considered one of the largest in the world.

Mango Pulping PlantsMango pulp is in high demand by food companies nationally and across the world because it is the basic ingredient for mango juices. Currently, there is a shortage of mango pulping units in Pakistan. This is a major investment opportunity available in Sindh.

Mango Drying UnitsDried mango products are in high demand the world over because in dry form the mango can not only be used for a wide variety of purposes like manufacturing of mango powder, mango juices, mango jams and so on but also because the dried mango has much better shelf life. Currenly, there is only one pilot plant for this purpose in Tando Allah Yar while many more are needed. A good investment opportunity.

A Treatment Plant for MangoesSindhri – The King of Mangoes

Sindh - The Land of Endless Opportunities