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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
P82M for survey raises mango growers’ hopes
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) approval of an P82-million grant for a three-year pest survey raised the hopes of the province’s mango growers to finally export their products to the United States.
The survey, which will begin in July next year, will determine the appropriate level of dosage that prevents discoloration of the mango skin, Visayas Cham-ber of Mango Industry Multipurpose Cooperative (VCMIMPC) chairperson Virgie de la Fuente said.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, de la Fuente said the proposed irradiation facility, which will also be financed by the USDA grant, will depend on the results of the survey.
Apart from extending the shelf life of mangoes, the irradiation facility is designed to disinfect and kill pests, such as fruit flies and weevils.
Following the implementation of a stricter quarantine protocol for mango exporters, the USDA requires Philippine mangoes to go through the irradiation process before they are shipped to the US.
“That is why the US, Australia and New Zealand only accept mango exports from Guimaras because it has been quarantined for many years now,” de la Fuente said.
She added that the chamber is working on the acquisition of a 20-hectare public land, either in the South Reclamation Project (SRP) or in Consolacion, where the facility could be based.
Once the land for the irradiation facility is donated, locators will be invited to help operate the processing plants for mangoes and other crops, de la Fuente related.
Facilities
“It will also include other facilities, like hot water treatment,” she added.
Aside from providing an increase in employment, de la Fuente said the facility will generate an estimated P6.5 million in average export earnings daily.
“When it is in full operation, export earnings may even reach P13 million,” she also said.
The irradiation facility, she added, will help speed up the quarantine process.
“It will only take ten minutes to quarantine five metric tons of mangoes per hour,” she said.
De la Fuente revealed that VCMIMPC is also eyeing a Vapor Heat Treatment facility in Banawa, which is another “special project” of the Department of Agriculture and is estimated to cost P17 million.
“The facility will be used for mangoes grown outside Guimaras, so that mangoes, like the ones from Cebu, will be exported directly to Japan, Hong Kong and Korea,” de la Fuente said.
She said that only four to five percent of the country’s total mango harvest is of export quality.
VCMIMPC, a group of mango stakeholders, has more than 100 members in the Visayas.
The improper agricultural practices by several mango growers are affecting the country’s supply of export quality mangoes, said Visayas Chamber of Mango Industry and Multipurpose Cooperative (VCMIMC) chairperson Virgie de la Fuente.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, de la Fuente cited two common malpractices, which includes the harvesting of mangoes earlier than its maturity date and the planting of mango trees too close to each other.
“The canopy should not touch each other because it prevents good ventilation and only a lesser amount of sunlight can penetrate,” de la Fuente said.
The maturity date of mangoes is expected to be between 112 and 125 days. When harvested earlier, it will be sour.
“That is why in 2003, more than 50 percent of the province’s mangoes were of poor quality because they were not collected at their right age,” she said.
Process
One way to determine a good quality mango is a process called “floatation,” where mangoes are submerged in water containing one to two percent of salt.
When the mango sinks, it means it is ready for harvesting, de la Fuente said.
With the goal of making Cebu the center of the mango industry in the
Philippines, VCMIMPC is set to hold a Mango Spraying Service Provider Seminar.
The seminar, which is scheduled on Sept. 29 and 30 at the Applied Nutrition Center in Banilad, seeks to address the two common malpractices, among others.
Seminar
“The seminar will also focus on demonstrating the proper use of fertilizers to help produce mangoes and other fruits more economically and efficiently,” de la Fuente said.
She reported that most mango contractors in the province do not use fertilizers.
Some 30 to 50 mango enthusiasts and potential mango growers are expected to join the two-day seminar.
Meanwhile, de la Fuente is hopeful the “Bagsakan Center” located in the North Reclamation Area will be fully utilized by the end of the year or once the harvest of mangoes improves.
“Because of poor harvests, agents of exporters go directly to the farm. That is why mangoes were no longer brought to the city,” she said.
Challenges
The high prices of farm inputs, like fertilizers, chemicals and insecticides, as well as weather conditions, contributed to last year’s low harvest, de la Fuente said.
The “Bagsakan Center” will be a retail and wholesale outlet projected to accommodate ten stalls.
As part of the chamber’s program, de la Fuente also revealed that VCMIMPC will put up a Mango Pavilion in the South Reclamation Project within the next two to three years.
De la Fuente said the chamber will apply for a grant with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the proposed pavilion.
She added that apart from being a venue of future seminars, it will house a daily exhibit of mangoes from the Visayas (MMM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 19, 2006 issue)
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