DA eyes to revitalize Philippine mango industry

CEBU, Philippines - Rehabilitate. Rebuild. Reinvigorate.

This plan is what Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol intends to pursue to restore the declining mango industry including here in Cebu which is one of the leading provinces that contributes to mango production.

He lamented that local stakeholders have seemingly disregarded the value of Philippine mangoes when all the while it has been praised in other countries.

“We have forgotten that the Philippine mango actually is part of who we are… It’s iconic but we have taken the Philippine mango for granted. Did you even know that today Cubans and Mexicans are mightily proud of a mango variety they call “Mango Manila”? That mango came from the Philippines,” he said in his speech during a forum held in Mandaue City.

Stakeholders of the mango industry from Central and Eastern Visayas convened yesterday at J Centre Mall Convention Hall for a forum aimed at discussing issues and concerns of the country’s mango industry, specifically regarding the lack of mango supply and the drastic drop in the volume of production.

Yesterday's forum is the third run in a series of fora organized by the Department of Agriculture (DA) across the country to consolidate the sentiments and concerns of the mango industry stakeholders.

“I have always believed that by talking to people who belong to the industry, I will have a very clear picture of where we are going,” said Piñol, who accommodated a few queries from participants after his speech.

He said after the series of consultations, the agency will be crafting a five-year roadmap for the development of the mango industry.

“I have made it an advocacy that we should actually create a roadmap for every important product of this country so that we will know where we are going,” he said.

For now, the key stakeholders are introduced with the draft of the five-year national mango rehabilitation and development plan that was also presented yesterday. There were also presentations and workshops covering topics such as processing, regulations, and best practices for growing mango.

“Years from now, when we shall have succeeded in rehabilitating, rebuilding, and reinvigorating the mango industry, you could point out to this day in Cebu and you can proudly say that you were part of this in building a better mango industry in the future,” he said.

Piñol also expressed his disappointment with the little budget allocated to the agriculture department.

“Of the P3.77 trillion budget that the government has allocated for 2018, the DA will only be getting P60.6 billion. That is less than two percent of the total national budget,” he said.

“That’s unfair. For the sector who grows food, catches fish, plants fruits for the Filipino people, two percent of the total national budget?” he further said. (FREEMAN)