Pakistan is Selling Sugar-free Mangoes for Diabetics at Affordable Prices for 'Aam Aadmi'

The season of the most beloved seasonal fruit, mango is finally here. From milkshakes to ice creams, social media is filled with mango products and recipes these days. While the fruit is widely consumed, it is a matter of concern for people with diabetes to consume the fruit due to its high sugar level. In a big relief for diabetics, three varieties of sugar-free mangoes with a 4 to 6 percent sugar level have been introduced by a Pakistani expert. Available by the names of Sonaro, Glenn, Keitt, they were introduced in Pakistan’s markets following a scientific modification by a mango expert at a private agriculture farm called M H Panhwar Farms in Sindh’s Tando Allahyar.

M H Panhwar’s nephew and a mango expert Ghulam Sarwar told ARY News, “The Government of Pakistan had conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Mr Panhwar for his research related to fruits including mangoes and banana. After his death, I continued his work and carried out modification after importing different genres of mangoes [from foreign countries] to



test its growth in this atmosphere and soil."

He said the project is being run on a personal basis without any assistance from the government and that there are 44 mango qualitative varieties available in their 300-acre farm including late, mid and early varieties.

According to Sarwar, he focused on finding new techniques to increase the fruit’s shelf life, control the sugar level for diabetics as well as improve production to introduce new varieties.

He said that while varieties like Sindhri and Chaunsa have 12 to 15 percent sugar, some varieties in his farm have just 4-5 percent sugar level. He told ARY News, “Keitt variety has the lowest sugar level up to 4.7 percent while Sonaro and Glenn have sugar level up to 5.6 percent and 6 percent respectively," and added that the price of the mangoes was kept at an affordable range for common people.

The mangoes are currently available in Pakistan markets at the price of around Rs 150 per kilogram.