Mindanao to account for bulk of new mango plantations

REPORT FROM BUSINESSWORLD General Santos City — With the addition of Guam and Hawaii as export destinations for Philippine mangoes, the Department of Agriculture is targeting to open new plantations totaling 11,270 hectares to grow more of the fruit — with the bulk of the expansion target focused on Mindanao at roughly 8,530 hectares or 75% of the national target. Focus "In the Soccsksargen region, the agency aims at developing an additional 2,000 hectares," Agriculture Usec. Salvador S. Salacup said in an interview Wednesday. Also known as Central Mindanao, the region encompasses the provinces of South and North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, as well as the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Mr. Salacup said the government decided to focus mango expansion on Mindanao due to the island’s typhoon-free climate and fertile soil. Limits However, during a mango conference held two weeks ago, Davao mango growers asked the Agriculture department to limit mango farm expansion to prevent oversupply in the meantime that new markets have yet to be actually tapped. "In the years ahead, we expect Soccsksargen and the rest of Mindanao to gradually increase their combined contribution to national mango production," Mr. Salacup said. Last year, national mango production reached 919,000 metric tons worth P18.7 billion at current prices, while exports of fresh mangoes amounted to $24 million, Agriculture department data showed. Before Guam and Hawaii, export markets for the country’s mangoes included the US mainland, Japan and Hong Kong. Problem But the export line in the Japanese market was nearly cut off after Japanese authorities discovered excessive chlorpyrifos residue in Philippine mangoes. In April 2005, Japan eventually agreed to lift its additional inspection requirements for mango products coming from the country. This was after Philippine-based mango exporters met the standard for the maximum limit for chlorpyrifos residue. In a letter addressed to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Tetsuya Ishii, Japan’s Minister for Economic Affairs, cited the submission by the Philippine government of the registered mango exporters which have fully observed the Manual on Pesticide Management of Philippine Mango for Export to Japan as agreed between the Philippines and the Japanese government in March 2005. Manual The BPI spearheaded the formulation of the pesticide residue management manual to help local growers and processors to better check and monitor pesticide residue on mango fruit export and ensure compliance with the prescribed maximum residue limit. Aside from prescribing strategies aimed at preventing high pesticide residue, the manual also contains information needed to trace and check procedures for the transport and handling of mangoes from the farm down to the exporter. Priority Agriculture department data showed that the country has at least 155,235 hectares of mango plantations, grown in 78 out of the 81 provinces in the nation. There are 2.5 million mango growers in the country. Two of the country’s registered exporters of mango are from South Cotabato province, namely: Dole Philippines, Inc. and Marsman Drysdale Foods Corp. Mango expansion in the province continues to be a major thrust of the local government as it tries to develop the agribusiness potential of the area. South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes said that at least 25,000 grafted mangoes were distributed last year to farmers in the province’s 10 towns and the component city of Koronadal. The priority area for mango expansion is Tantangan, a town less than 30 minutes drive from Koronadal. In 2005, Ms. Fuentes said that 25,640 mangoes seedlings were distributed to farmers on a plant-now, pay-later scheme. — Romer S. Sarmiento/BusinessWorld