DA to set aside P40-M for mango farmers

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture will bankroll a 5-year development plan for mango growers across the country with a P40-million funding in 2013.  

Of this amount, P10 million will be allotted for the rehabilitation of mango farms destroyed by typhoons in the past two years, while P30 million will be used for the projects of the Philippine Mango Industry Foundation Inc (PMIFI), Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at the 14th National Mango Congress on November 15. 

The PMIFI, composed of 15 mango associations and federations, plans to establish irradiation facilities to ensure products are free from pests and diseases and are compliant to stringent phytosanitary requirements of foreign markets.

PMIFI president Virginia Dela Fuente also said farmer-members will allot 5% of their farms for planting cassava and sweet potatoes to help contribute to the government’s food sufficiency program.

Alcala said the DA will also extend mango farmers with other forms of assistance such as the establishment of nurseries and scion groves under its High Value Crops Development Program. The DA will also extend marketing support and train farmers on developing mango by-products such as wine, puree and dried strip. 

Meanwhile, Alcala also urged the farmers to use geo-tagging, where geographical information is attached to images or records. Alcala said geo-tagging has been successfully used to monitor infrastructure and farm-to-market roads in Mindanao. – Rappler.com