DURIAN lovers are in for a treat this harvest season compared to 2016 and 2017.
“If we are to compare from the harvest last year, we have a lot more for this year,” Miculob said during the media forum Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday, July 30, 2018
Miculob said the extreme drought and heavy rainfall in the past years resulted the decrease in durian production.
”In 2016, we were hit by drought brought by El Niño, then in 2017 there was immense heavy rain which affected also the growth of the durian. But now, our trees have recovered resulting into a higher production,” Miculob said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a 20.52 percent decline in durian production volume in Davao Region to 53,805.71 metric tons (MT) in 2016 from 67,697.44 MT in 2015.
Davao City has an estimate of 2,800 hectares of durian plantation, and contributes to 60 percent of durian supply in the country.
But Miculob said that the price of the durian will not amount to 2015’s 20 pesos per kilo. He also said that 2015 was also the banner year for the highest durian production in the past three years.
According to the data from Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture, in 2015 Davao region produced a volume of 67697.44 metric tons for durian production, but this decreased into 53805.71 metric tons by 2016.
“I don’t think we can go back to that price anymore, because we kept a support price for the farmers not lower than 25 pesos, for the farmers to also earn a living, and be more enticed to plant, enhance, and produce more durian,” Miculob said.
Still, he expects the prices to be lower by August in time for Kadayawan.
“For the current price the durian is at almost a hundred per kilo, but as August comes, we are expecting a 50 percent decrease,” Miculob added.