To further capacitate the mango farmers of Caraga region on pest and disease management and in effect boost their production volume and quality, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga through the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) conducted the 1st Caraga Mango Technical Forum on August 7-8 in Butuan City.
Regional HVCDP Program Coordinator Marco Antonio C. Morido said that one of the problems confronting the mango industry is the prevalence of pests and diseases which affects the volume and quality of produce of the farmers.
The activity aims to address this situation by providing the farmers with ample knowledge on mango pest and disease management.
Resource Person Graciela L. Caballero of the Southern Philippines Agribusiness Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) said that the Philippines is the world’s seventh-leading producer of mangoes and that fresh mango makes up for 59 percent of mango products in the market.
According to Caballero, farmers’ practice is one factor that affects the volume and quality of their produce. She also said that canopy management regulates microclimate within the canopy and removes habitat of pests and diseases.
Further, she said that canopy management is one of the most important factors in sustaining the yield and quality of fruits in mango. Aside from discussions on mango pest and disease management and insecticide and fungicide resistance management, there was also a demonstration on mango tree pruning.
Ponciano Ramacula, the Chairman of the Caraga Mango Producers Cooperative (CARMAPCO) said they are thankful that the Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to support the mango growers in the region by providing them various interventions.
“It’s really a good thing that DA caters to the needs of the farmers like the conduct of this technical forum which we really requested for since we believe that we can learn a lot from the resource persons who are mango experts," he said.
“They will always be around but we should not stop looking for means to counter them so that the mango industry in Caraga will not be affected but rather will continue to grow and improve,“ Monteagudo stated.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that in 2017, Caraga had a total production volume of 18,194.74 metric tons for mango with the bulk of it coming from the province of Agusan del Norte.
Source: Philippine Information Agency