Lahore:
The Punjab Tourism Department inaugurated the highly anticipated Mango 2025 festival in Lahore with more than 50 varieties of beloved summer fruit from Pakistan.
Keeping in a local hotel, the two -day event has attracted large crowds, including citizens, tourists, farmers, agricultural experts, students and professionals in the food and hotel industry.
The festival offered a dynamic mixture of traditional dance, folk music, crafts and a wide range of mango dishes, transforming the event into a unique celebration of agriculture, culture and culinary creativity.
The festival was officially opened by the Punjab tourism secretary, Fareed Ahmad Tarar and Dr Nasir Mehmood, Director General of the Tourism Development of Punjab (TDCP).
Tarar described the festival not only as a celebration of mangoes, but also as a tribute to the workers’ workers in Punjab and the rich agricultural and cultural heritage of the province.
Dr. Mehmood stressed that the event serves as a platform to promote tourism, hospitality and local industries alongside agriculture.
Agricultural expert Rana Asif Hayat Tipu stressed that five tonnes of export quality mangoes have been made available at farm prices to respond to public concerns that high -level fruits are rarely accessible in retail markets.
However, he warned that climate change, intense heat, dust storms and water shortages had seriously affected this year’s harvest, resulting in an estimated drop of 40 to 50% of production.
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Experts noted that Pakistan generally produces approximately 1.8 million metric tonnes of mangoes per year, Punjab contributing 70% of national production, Sindh 29% and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa approximately 1%.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the production of 2025 should drop to around 1.4 million metric tonnes.
However, the government has ambitiously reached the export target to 125,000 metric tonnes this season, targeting $ 100 million (around 28 million PKR) in exchange gains. Last year, only 13,681 metric tonnes were exported, generating $ 46.7 million.
Festival -goers, in particular women and young participants, expressed their enthusiasm at the idea of seeing such a range of mango varieties in one place – something that they rarely encounter on local markets. Nimra, a representative of a hotel group, shared that their stand was focused on participants to prepare a variety of mango dishes such as cakes, shakes, chutneys, juices and ice cream, promoting mangoes like a versatile ingredient beyond a simple cold fruit.
The young artist Sarah Muhammad Hussain and her team showed paintings on the theme of mango, capturing the vibrant colors of the fruit and the aromatic essence on canvas.
Pakistan cultivates more than 200 varieties of mango, including around 20 commercially cultivated and exported on a global scale. These include popular types such as Chaunsa, Sindhri, Neelum, Anwar Ratol, Langra, Dussehri, started Phali, Gulab Khas, Saroli and Zafran.
Known for their exceptional aroma, color, color and nutritional value, Pakistani mangoes continue to take advantage of higher quality status in international markets, which earned them the title “King of Fruits”.
According to TDCP officials, the mango festival plays a central role in increasing agro -tourism and cultural exchanges while facilitating direct interaction between producers and exporters – value channels and market access for local producers.
Previously, the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi enjoyed the sweetness of the mangoes, rightly praised as the “King of Fruits”, because the juicy delight brings joy to people of all ages of the summer season.
Dynamic mango displays welcome buyers on local markets, sellers with all kinds of mangoes, from the famous Chaunsa, Sindhri and Anwar Ratol to the precious Langra, Fajli and Dusehri.
Each type of variety is easily available.
Mango lovers can savor the sweetness of Chaunsa, Sindhri’s Ipidity, or explore other unique flavors, making twin cities a paradise for mango connoisseurs.
As people enjoy the mango season, sellers work hard to meet demand. A fruit seller on the Islamabad F-6 market, Muhammad Ali, shared that “we import mangoes from the best orchards of the Sindh and Punjab to ensure superior quality and flavor.
He said that the mangoes are stealing shelves and that they have had an excellent season so far, Chaunsa and Sindhri being the best sellers.
