PAKISTAN markets now have sugar-free mango varieties for people with diabetes. The fruit, which otherwise has high sugar levels, has been scientifically modified by an expert at a private cultural farm called M H Panhwar Farms in Sindh’s Tando Allahyar.
Three varieties of such mangoes, named Sonaro, Glenn, and Keitt, are now available and their sugar levels range between four and six per cent, reported News18.
Panhwar’s nephew and a mango expert Ghulam Sarwar was quoted as saying by ARY News, “The Government of Pakistan had conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz on 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.”
Sarwar mentioned that the project was being run on a personal level without any assistance from the government. He added that his technique aimed to improve the fruit’s shelf life, control sugar level for diabetics, and also improve production to introduce new varieties.
“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,” the expert added. The mango varieties are currently priced at Rs 150 per kg in Pakistan markets.
- Indian Express
