Mango plantations covering thousands of acres are destroyed by floods.

Following recent rains, South Punjab, dubbed the “land of mangoes,” has seen devastating damage to its renowned mango plantations.

Farmers and agricultural specialists are extremely concerned after the floods destroyed thousands of acres of Chaunsa, Sindhri, and Anwar Ratol kinds, some of which were 10 to 15 years old.

Mango orchards are being overlooked, according to gardeners, even though the government has started studies to evaluate agricultural losses. Many claim that improper documentation of orchard damage could further postpone restitution and compensation.

Farmers struggle as orchards turn to ruins
Muhammad Ajmal, a local farmer from Multan, expressed his sorrow at having to chop down his own dried mango trees after his 22-acre orchard was damaged by floodwaters.

My orchard has suffered greatly as a result of the flood. We’ve lost 15 years of effort in one season,” Ajmal said with grief. “We are concerned that mango orchards are not being included in the survey by the government teams.”

Ten percent of his mango trees are barely surviving, while ninety percent of them have been devastated, according to another gardener. He stated, “Government teams are coming, but they are only recording crops, not mango plants.”

Leaders of farmers denounce survey disregard
The chairman of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, Chaudhry Haseeb Anwar, referred to the official survey’s failure to include mango orchard losses as a serious injustice.

“Mango farmers suffer the greatest injustice when their losses go unrecorded. There is a great deal of uncertainty since the administration is ignoring them rather than fixing the harm they have caused,” he said.

Experts warn that the damage would be long-lasting, as mango trees take six to seven years to bear fruit. Mango exports, one of Pakistan’s most important agricultural exports, may suffer from the loss of mature trees in addition to local supplies.

The government responds by evaluating orchards.
A thorough orchard assessment is being conducted to determine the extent of the damage, City Assistant Commissioner Abdul Sami Sheikh said in response to farmers’ worries.

“We are analyzing the number of damaged mango plants, including both large and small trees, and gathering all the data at the same time,” he stated.

Sheikh added that it will take ten to fifteen years to regain the lost productivity and restore the health of the orchard, but he accepted that the loss of mango trees is irreversible.