Thursday, November 15, 2007 DA to conduct mango survey in Mindanao
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will be conducting a survey funded by the US Department of Agriculture in 27 provinces in Mindanao that are mango-producing areas.
The survey according to a report of the DA is now being done in 16 mango-producing provinces in the Visayas.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in a press statement that these efforts are expected to further boost the mango exports which last year amounted to more than $46 million of which $24 million was in the form of fresh mangoes.
He said they will continue to pursue initiatives and provide technical and logistical assistance to enable the fruit growers, processors, and exporters to comply with global phytosanitary standards enabling them to tap huge export potentials.
Among the support services that will be extended to farmers are distribution of virus-free planting materials, credit, post harvest and marketing assistance, and the construction of packinghouses.
Yap meanwhile said as a result of recent breakthroughs achieved by Philippines in meeting global phytosanitary requirements, they expect fruit growers this year to surpass their combined earnings from exports in 2006, which amounted to more than $700 million.
The DA he said is stepping up efforts to meet stringent phytosanitary requirements in exporting mangoes from Davao del Sur and Luzon to the United States, Australia, and other countries through extensive field surveys and studies conducted with foreign assistance.
Mango production in the Philippines is projected to grow 7.10 percent this year to 984,135 MT from 918,877 MT in 2006. The expansion rate however would shoot up to 12.49 percent to 1.033 million MT with proper intervention in place.
