Philippine mango industry positioning “strongly” in world market

By BEVERLY PAOYON

GUMASA, Glan, Sarangani (September 29, 2011) - Mango industry players were positioning Philippine mango strongly in the world market by maximizing efficiency in the cost service and logistics areas, an industry officer said.

Virginia de la Fuente, president of the Philippine Mango Industry Foundation, Inc., also urged mango stakeholders – mango growers, contract sprayers/financiers, input suppliers, nursery operators, exporters/traders, processors and logistics providers to “unite and actively participate in all our advocacies and undertakings for the improvement of, if not to save our mango industry and position our Philippine mango strongly in the world market.”

She appealed to the Department of Agriculture to “empower and capacitate the mango industry associations and for any other industry association for that matter by consulting the industry leaders in planning exercises to prioritize and craft programs, providing reasonable grants to implement and achieve plans through the national organizations and instituting control mechanism.”

De la Fuente said Mindanao has the “potential” for mango production with SOCSARGEN (South Cotabato-Sarangani-General Santos City) having the largest number of hectarage and production.

“Because of this climate change I am now campaigning that mango production will be made here in Mindanao,” de la Fuente told delegates at the 13th National Mango Congress Wednesday (September 28).

“Mindanao produces only 35% of the total national production but we have the potential,” she said.

Sixty-five percent of the produce is coming from Pangasinan and the rest of Luzon.

In a message to the delegates, Rep. Manny Pacquiao said the mango congress is an indication for a stronger partnership to “heighten commitment to increase the competitiveness of the Philippine mango in world market and develop more production areas in Mindanao.”

Pacquiao also asked mango industry players “to maximize the production and export potentials of the Philippine mango industry. We will utilize this mango congress as a dynamic platform to learn as much as we can to ensure the strongest position in the world market.”

The three-day mango congress being held at world-class Isla Jardin del Mar resort in Gumasa ends on September 30. (Beverly Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)