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Dubai: Pakistan Mango Festival to be held today; free entry for visitors

Guests will be entertained with mango-related games, competition, food, shopping, cultural stalls and much more

Published: Sun 26 Jun 2022, 1:38 PM

Updated: Fri 1 Jul 2022, 6:18 AM

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The two-day Pakistan Mango Festival 2022 will be held in Dubai on July 1 and 2, where a wide variety of mangoes will be showcased to traders and visitors from different countries.

The first day is an invite-only event, where senior government officials from the UAE and Pakistan, dignitaries, ambassadors, business council members and trade missions will be shown over a dozen popular varieties of Pakistani mangoes; the second day is open to the public.

Visitors to the event, organised in partnership with Pakistan Consulate, Pakistan Business Council and Pakistan Association Dubai, will be entertained with mango-related games, competitions, food, shopping, cultural stalls and much more. The event will be held at Pakistan Association Dubai.

Dr Faisal Ikram, president of Pakistan Association Dubai, said entry is free for the public as organisers want to engage the maximum number of people across a wide spectrum of nationalities living in the UAE.

“We want to promote mango because it’s our country’s national fruit. Secondly, we invited importers and retailers of various nationalities to the festival to showcase the opportunities in this sector. Thirdly, we want to engage the community on the second day with the help of different activities,” he said.

“We’ve given the theme of ‘Connecting Hearts – Mangolicious Way’. We will present the festival differently and showcase the entire journey of mango and how it’s produced, sold and exported. This is aimed at reflecting the country’s soft image,” he said.

In addition, a concept called “Mangoes for a Cause” will be introduced under which all the proceeds for the mangoes bought at the festival will go to the not-for-profit healthcare facility Pakistan Medical Centre.

Dr Ikram expects that around 2,000 visitors will turn up for the festival on the second day.

Pakistan is the world’s fifth-largest producer of mangoes after India, China, Thailand and Indonesia, producing around 1.8 million tonnes on average. In 2021, Pakistan exported 125,000 tonnes of mangoes; however, it’s expected that the production will drop by 50 per cent this year.

Hassan Afzal Khan, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai, said mango season is awaited and celebrated not only in Pakistan but in all parts of the world where Pakistanis reside.

“Pakistan Mango Festival 2022 is an endeavour to highlight and introduce Pakistani mangoes, their variants and superior quality to visiting dignitaries, ambassadors, consul generals and members of trade missions in UAE. We encourage and invite everyone to visit Pakistan Mango Festival, taste the sweetness and enjoy the Pakistani mango and festivities,” said Khan.

“There are more than 100 varieties of mangoes that are cultivated in Pakistan. During the Pakistan Mango Festival, around 18 companies will showcase a number of popular mango varieties which are exported globally including Sindhri, Chaunsa, Sunehra, Anwar Ratol, Fajri, Dusehri, Gulab Khaas, Langra, Neelam, Laal Baadshaa and others. People can also purchase mangoes at a competitive rate,” said Mustafa Altaf, managing director of Altaf Hussain Trading Co.

Pakistan mangoes are seeing strong demand in Dubai this year as exports have been higher than in previous years due to strong demand despite reduced production of mangoes in Pakistan amidst heatwave and climate change, said Altaf, who is also a senior member of the Pakistan Business Council.

“Imports of Pakistani mangoes to Dubai have been huge in the first 15 days of June because of their popularity. In the first week, more than 6,000 tonnes of mangoes were imported from Pakistan to Dubai as compared to around 4,500-5,000 tonnes in the previous years,” he said.

- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

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