Philippines: mango processing plant in Sarangani mulled

The government-owned Agro Industrial Development Corp. would conduct a study to determine the viability of establishing a mango processing plant in Sarangani province. Alan Villanueva, Agro-Industrial president, said plans to build a mango processing plant in Malungon town have the full support of the Provincial Government.

The feasibility study, with a funding of P700,000, is expected to start in the next few weeks and should be completed by June or July this year. A project briefer said the study's aim is to develop the mango industry in Sarangani. The Sarangani Federation of Fruit Industry Associations, Inc. proposed the putting up of a mango processing plant in Malungon, which is known as the "mango capital of the province."

Presently, Sarangani has 4,540 hectares of land devoted to mango production and the figure is still growing. Around 72 percent of these lands are found in Malungon. Benjamin Figueroa, president of the Malungon Mango Growers Association, said the construction of a mango processing plant would be a big boost to the development of the industry.

"Sarangani expects to harvest more or less 18,000 metric tons annually when all our trees start to bear fruit next year," Figueroa said. The province produces an average of four metric tons of mango per hectare annually. The annual average is highest in Malungon at 12.5 metric tons per hectare. Mango is a priority under the "One-Town One Product" program of Malungon, the only land-locked town of the province.

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