JORDAN, Guimaras – – The 20th National Mango Congress kicked off Wednesday at the island province of Guimaras, which is well-known for producing one of the world’s sweetest mango varieties.
This year’s congress evolved around the theme, “Guimaras Experience: Increasing Mango Productivity through LGUs (local government units), NGAs (national government agencies) and DA-AFCs (Department of Agriculture-Agriculture and Fisheries Councils) partnership with various Stakeholders Towards Sustainable Mango Industry.”
The three-day event gathered around 500 mango growers and producers in the entire country to discuss initiatives to further boost the production of mangoes in the country.
In her keynote speech, Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food, expressed her continued support to the growth of the local mango industry.
She cited Mindanao as the biggest producer of mangoes, contributing 65 percent to the overall mango production.
She said mango continues to be one of the most important fruit crops of the country in terms of export volume and value.
Seventy percent of the mangoes production in the country, she said, is owned by small farmers.
She stressed the need for the farming industry to be upgraded to a standard that will make farmers competitive and prosperous.
“In the end, we have to make our farmers competitive and profitable so that they will not leave farming,” she said, hoping that mango growers and producers could further strengthen their competitive advantages.
Besides being tagged with one of the best fresh mangoes in the world and producing the best processed mangoes, Villar said she hopes the country could also boast of “year-round production and availability of the fruit” with the support of various government agencies and partners from the private organizations.
Meanwhile, Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin stressed that the congress is a venue for “networking,” particularly for them to know other technologies from the different provinces and cities.
“It is an opportunity for the Guimarasnon (locals of Guimaras) to meet other producers who have a lot of experience how to plant, how to produce mango and how to market it,” he said in a media interview.
“With this conglomeration of ideas and opportunities, it will create some learnings,” he added.
The three-day congress will include number of plenary sessions to include, among others, mango production protocol and best practices; mango tree rehabilitation; sustainable and profitable mango production; cecid fly prevention and control; and role of LGUs, DA-AFCs and other NGAs in supporting and reviving the mango industry.
The participants will be toured at the mango farms in Guimaras on the third day of the congress on June 1.(Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
