His Excellency Ambassador Ibrahim Yousuf Abdullah Fakhro, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Muhammad Aejaz, Ambassador of Pakistan to Qatar, and His Excellency Naser Rashid Al Nuaimi, Managing Director of Private Engineering Firm, attended the inauguration ceremony of the festival at Souq Waqif yesterday. Photo: Rajan Vadakhemliil/The Peninsula.
DOHA: The first Pakistan Mango Festival “Al-Khamba”, featuring around 50 companies and 100 stalls, kicked off yesterday in a large air-conditioned tent on the eastern square of Souq Waqif.
The 10-day long festival will offer a variety of Pakistani mangoes, including popular varieties such as Sindri, Chaunsa, Safid Chaunsa, Anwar Ratour and Dusehri, as well as seasonal fruits such as falsa, jamun and peaches.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Ambassador HE Ibrahim Yousuf Abdullah Fakhro, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar HE Muhammad Aejaz, Managing Director of Private Engineering Office HE Naser Rashid Al Nuaimi and General Director of the festival HE Khalid Saif Al Suwaidi.
The festival will be organised by the Civil Engineering Office Celebrations Committee in collaboration with the Pakistan Embassy from June 27 to July 6, 2024, from 4 pm to 9 pm daily.
Khalid Saif Al Suwaidi, general director of the festival, told The Peninsula that the inaugural Pakistan Mango Festival was being organised to coincide with the mango harvesting season in the exporting country.
“Around 50 types of products will be sold during the festival, including different types of mangoes, juices, sweets and pickles. More mango varieties will be imported from Pakistan almost every day until the end of the festival,” Al Suwaidi said.
“Most of the products have been specially imported for the festival. There are many Pakistani companies participating in the festival for the first time,” he said, adding that the festival is expected to draw a large number of visitors as Pakistani mangoes are very popular among the Qatari community.
“The festival will be held in a large air-conditioned tent with all the necessary services for the comfort of visitors,” Al Suwaidi said.
He said the festival’s organising committee was working with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Local Government to ensure the quality of mangoes and products to be displayed at the festival.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar HE Muhemmad Aejaz said: “Today, we are hosting Pakistan’s first mango show in Doha where we will be selling around eight varieties of high-quality mangoes.”
“With around 300 varieties of mangoes, Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of mangoes. Like many others, Pakistani mangoes are considered the best in the world.”
He said around 48 vendors were showcasing different varieties of Pakistani mangoes, which are a part of Pakistan’s cultural identity.
“We have mangoes for sale here, we have mango-based food products for sale here, and we think it’s going to be a lot of fun for everyone,” said Aejaz, who said 48 businesses are participating, most of which have multiple booths.
“They are basically here not only to bring the best mangoes but also to further build cultural and commercial ties with potential importers in Qatar,” the ambassador said.
He said Souk Ukafi was a great place to visit, especially for families.
