Local government officials in Cebu met in Dohera Hotel in Mandaue City last month to discuss the rehabilitation of the mango industry in the Central Visayas region.
Mango is one of the export winners of the region and has a comparative advantage with other high-value crops. It is abundant in Cebu, which is known as the mango capital of Central Visayas.
Wilberto Castillo, chief of the Department of Agriculture’s Integrated Laboratory Division and Regional Mango Coordinator, said the Mango Productivity Enhancement Project aims to revisit the mango industry, which has been left out for years.
Rehabilitating mango trees in the region, he said, would increase the production of Central Visayas and revive the mango industry.
Castillo said a 20-year-old mango tree, if managed properly, would yield around 500 kilograms of fruit.
Because mango-bearing trees in the region have been neglected, he said, production has declined drastically in recent years.
The mango processors, Castillo said, were not able to meet the needed volume requirement for export due to the lack of fresh mangoes for processing.
Some processors are considering to source out raw materials from neighboring Asean countries, like Vietnam and Thailand.
Castillo also noted that about 73 percent of mangoes produced in the region are from backyard plantations, or those smaller than 3 hectares.
The Philippines ranks ninth in terms of production, with India ranking first based on 2014 data. In terms of mango exports, the Philippines is second to Mexico.
Philippine mango is being exported to 48 countries, including Hong Kong and Japan—the top two buyers of the produce. Other major buyers of Philippine mango are the US, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, South Korea and Middle East.
Mangoes destined to foreign markets are being exported under the Philippine Super Mango brand.