Philfoodex: Rains to dampen mango output this summer

Farmers expect to harvest the most mangoes in summer, but rains this year may spoil the season — along with the hopes of mango producers to match their output last year. The Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization (Philfoodex) reported Tuesday that early rains brought about by La Niña may slash by at least a third this year’s mango production to around 530,000 metric tons (MT) from 800,000 MT in 2010. “It is unusual that rains should start at this point in the year. Perhaps this is the effect of the so-called climate change. Production will significantly drop if rains will not abate until April," Bureau of Plant Industry director Clarito Barron said in an interview during the bureau’s 81st anniversary. Barron said the rains could upset the mango flowering stage, which had already started in Luzon. “Once production declines, so will our exports. Production costs will be high since raw materials will increase in value also. It may also push back negotiations for new markets should production be compromised by the weather," Barron said. The expectations come at a time when the private sector expects a higher demand for frozen and newly-formulated dried mangoes in Japan, Europe, and United States. Government is also close to signing a trade pact on mango exports to Taiwan — a deal that has so far been five years in the making. The Philippines would also like to export locally-grown mangoes to Canada and Europe, aside from other new export markets that include Guam, Hawaii, Netherlands, South Korea, and Middle East countries. The Philippines, where 3.5 percent of the world’s mangoes are grown, is the sixth largest producer of the commodity next to China, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, and India. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMANews.TV