Mango output in C. Visayas down by 10%
By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 07:54:00 09/06/2008
Rising prices in fertilizers and pesticides and poor agricultural practices shrank mango production in Central Visayas by 10 percent in the first semester of this year compared to last year, according to the Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas (DA-7).
According to the DA-7's Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) Region 7 produced only 45,247 metric tons (MT) tons of mangoes from January to June 2008, a 10 percent drop from last year's 50, 210 MT.
DA-7's head for regional crop protection center Wilberto “Bert” Castillo said mango growers decided to “lie low” after 80 percent of their production cost went to pesticides to protect their orchards from cecid flies, which feast on the mango young tree’s leaves and stops the development of flowers.
“Many of our orchards are dependent on pesticides because of this disease. The interval is very near. They spray trees at least once every three days. It seldom happens that they spray once a week,” he said.
Around 70 percent of mango production in Region 7 come from backyards with 30 percent grown in plantations, Castillo said.
He said the contractual system in the industry also contributed to the decrease in production.
Under the system, mango orchard owners hire contractors to plant and harvest crops. Owners get one-fourth while contractors get three-fourths of the total harvest.
Castillo said contractors don't think about sustaining the productivity of the mango trees after harvest.
“That's a poor agricultural practice. They don't mind to irrigate, fertilize or sanitize the orchards after a harvest so the trees are left to take care (of themselves),” he said.
Castillo said post-harvest interventions like pruning and fertilizing are needed for trees to sustain mango production in the next cropping season.
These steps will also reduce the use of pesticides, the BAS official said.
“We always emphasize that pest control should be integrated. We cannot just rely on pesticides,” Castillo said.
He explained that a mango orchard, with 600 trees on produce 300,000 kilos of mangoes.
Each tree can produce an average of 500 kilos. Castillo said mangoes only bear fruits once every two years.
But trees can be induced to bear fruits eight months from harvest as long as proper interventions are employed.
“A mango tree can bear fruits five years after it was planted but when a mango tree reaches 10 years, that is the start of its productive year. This means that it will produce more.”
Low mango production poses a problem especially among exporters of dried mangoes and mango purees, who continue to receive high demand of the products from abroad.
Castillo said exporters like Profoods International Corp. import mangoes from Luzon and Mindanao aside from those produced in Central Visayas.
Pangasinan, the largest mango producer in terms of volume, is also experiencing low production due to unfavorable weather conditions, he said.
The BAS data noted that Cebu is the largest producer of mangoes in the region.
The province produced 26, 880 MT during the first semester.
It is followed by Negros Oriental with 11,647 MT, Bohol with 6,276 MT and Siquijor with 441.75 MT.
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