Five-volume Mango Tree Encyclopaedia launched

Date

7/31/2016 12:55:13 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Nasr bin Hamoud al Kindi, secretary general in the Royal Court Affairs (RCA) launched the five-volume Mango Tree Encyclopaedia (Al Anba) last week. A Royal Order of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said commissioned writing the encyclopaedia.

Present at the launch ceremony were ministers, undersecretaries representing various units of the state administrative apparatus, RCA officials, scientists, researchers and contributors to the encyclopaedia.

Mango trees have been found throughout the sultanate since ancient times. It is believed that the history of mango cultivation in South Asia dates back some 6,000 years. Historical references indicate that the fruit was brought to Oman from India during the 10th century AD and that its cultivation had spread to other Arab countries by the 16th century AD.

Its status as a favourite fruit among consumers and farmers has earned it a reputation as the king of tropical and subtropical fruits.

Work on the Mango Tree Encyclopaedia began in 2006 by an executive committee and a technical team. A consultative committee for the project was established in 2008 and included eight specialists from several countries to take advantage of their expertise. In addition, the technical team visited the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Organization of Biodiversity (Bioversity International) to benefit from their experience.
Other international and regional organisations that were either visited or consulted include the International Society for Horticultural Science and Plant Recourses for South East Asia Association.
Speaking on the occasion, Kindi said that the mango tree has great value in the Omani history. 'Therefore, His Majesty the Sultan was very keen on caring for and maintaining the tree, issuing a specialised encyclopaedia on the mango tree and studying the causes that led to damage of many of these trees in the sultanate.'
H E Dr Fuad bin Jaafar bin Mohammed al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries said that launching the encyclopaedia 'Al Anba' is a joint effort that will help the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to become familiar with many aspects related to this tree. 'While we have about half a million mango trees in the sultanate, we hope to cultivate more types of this fruit.'

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