Agriculture Business Week

A consultation meeting on the anthracnose disease in mango was tackled in a consultation meeting facilitated by Dr. Teodoro Solsoloy, assistant director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Among the participants were Roberto C. Amores, president of Philfoodex and CEO of a mango exporting firm, Director Ricardo Cachuela of the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension, Kevin Yaptengco of the UPLB Institute of Agricultural Engineering, a representative of the Bureau of Plant Industry, and technical personnel of BAR.

The discussion focused on how to address the presence of anthracnose disease in mango fruits, also known as black spots. This disease is caused by a fungus called Colletotrichum gleosporioides and is considered a very serious disease of mango. Anthracnose infects almost all parts of the mango, including flower panicles, twigs, leaves, and fruits of mature as well as immature trees.

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World's Heaviest Mango

The largest mango which won the “Pinaka” contest in the SUNDAYAG 2009 in Cagayan de Oro last year has been confirmed by the Guinness World Records (GWR) as the heaviest mango in the world, breaking the previous record held by an entry from Hawaii.

The mango weighs 3.5 kilos with a length of 30 cms. and a diameter of 50 cms. The fruit is owned by spouses Sergio and. Ma. Socorro M. Bodiongan from Barangay Tubod, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Region 10. Bodiongan said the mango tree was planted in 1992 and started to bear fruit in 1996. She said she got the seedling from her friend Mila Marquez who got a grafted “Florida Keitt” variety from Davao City. During every harvest the average weight of the mango fruit ranges from 1.5 kilos to 2.5 kilos . The spouses never attempted to sell or make money out of their large mangoes but instead gave some to their friends, officemates and bosses. The spouses said that they wanted to share this blessing to other people who are always amazed of the size of the extraordinary mango.

The spouses’ entry to the GWR was recognized on Dec. 19, 2009 and was given the official certificate last Jan. 13 as the heaviest mango in the world.

By Suzy May Roa

Water Management

For young mango trees, weekly manual watering should be done during dry months by saturating the soil with enough water followed by mulching. If drip irrigation is available, fertilizer application can be incorporated in the irrigation water.

For flowering trees, apply water weekly during flower initiation and fruit development and stop one month before harvest. Irrigate developing flowers and fruits to enhance fast development, minimize fruit drop and increase fruit size. The volume of water ranges from 60 to 100 liters per tree depending on size.

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Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent. Cultivated in many tropical regions and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavor, fragrance and color, making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often called superfruits. Its leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at weddings and religious ceremonies.

Prospects and Strengths

* Mango growing is in line with the initiatives of both government and private sectors in terms of production, processing and marketing support
* Once productive, a 10-15 year old tree will yield approximately 500 kilos
* There is a niche market for both fresh and processed mangoes locally and abroad. The export market is expanding
* Technologies from propagation to post-harvest handling have been tested,verified and adopted nationwide
* Processing technologies are also available and continuing efforts are exerted to develop new products
* There is a pool of experts in the country that can be tapped to provide technical assistance to mango growers and processors
* Research and development activities on emerging pests and diseases are given priority by relevant agencies of the government
* Expansion of large production areas in Mindanao which are free from typhoons

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Commercial mango production in Bicol probably would not have started had not a Batangas fruit trader owed a lot of money to Marcelo Escaro of Naga City. Some 30 years back, the trader, after disappearing for a number of years, suddenly materialized in Naga with a truckload of grafted mango seedlings. He told Mr. Escaro that instead of cash, he was paying his indebtedness with the mango seedlings.

With no other option, Escaro had to accept the seedlings and planted them in his farm in Calabanga. So many years later, in the early `90s, we attended a garden show in Naga and saw Mrs. Patria Escaro selling big, luscious carabao and apple mangoes at the show. We saw then Senator Nikki Coseteng, buying a lot of the fruits.

Suddenly the agriculturists in Bicol got interested in mangoes. In fact, the Department of Agriculture in Region 5 adopted the Escaros as their cooperator, placing a billboard declaring the same in front of the Escaro farm. When a strong typhoon devastated Camarines Sur, the province was given a calamity assistance fund of more than a million pesos. Much of the fund was used in purchasing grafted mango seedlings for distribution to families interested in planting mangoes.

Previously, the government agriculturists never recommended planting mangoes in Bicol because of the frequent typhoons that visited the region. While it is true that some of the trees of the Escaros were felled by strong winds, somehow they recovered. In fact, those that were toppled produced low-growing branches whose fruits were easier to harvest.

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Simultaneous fruiting is possible nowadays with flower inducer. By spraying it to mango trees, not just more, but bigger fruits are produced.

Potassium nitrate is the generic name of chemical flower inducer in mango, and the chemical symbol for this compound is or KNO;. It contains 13% nitrogen and 46% potash, hence it is also called 13-0-46. KNO supplies the potassium requirement of the tree and in the process, induces flowering.

Another flower inducer used, nowadays is calcium nitrate (CaN). It contains 45% calcium and 15% nitrogen. It is affordable, yet the effect is just the same.

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Normally, mango trees will bear fruit only once a year. But one fellow who grows mangoes in Libungan, North Cotabato, can make two harvests from the same mango trees twice a year. And both harvests are considered off-season so he gets a very good price for his two crops

The fellow is Francisco “Frank” Sacdalan, a retired accountant whose passion these days is farming, particularly mango production. He operates four mango farms with a total area of more than 40 hectares, two of which he owns while two others are leased. Many of the trees are 16 to 20 years old but there are 63 trees that are at least 50 years old. These old trees are really big and very productive because they are adequately fertilized and judiciously pruned.

At the recent National Mango Congress in Tagbilaran City, he detailed how he produced two off-season mango crops in 2007 from the same trees. He revealed that although he had owned the two farms for many years, it was only starting four years ago that he took over the management of the trees. In previous years, a contractor took charge of production under a sharing scheme of the harvests.

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An enterprising 50-year-old agricultural engineer has put up Bohol ’s first mango processing plant in his hometown of Tubigon. He is Cecilio “Dodie ” Itable, a Manila-bused engineering contractor, who had wanted to engage in farming and agribusiness not just for the money but also to break the hassles of doing business in the city.

In 2007, Dodie and his brothers and his sisters organized the Itable Agri-Industrial Corporation not only to engage in mango processing but also to develop a 45-hectare property near the processing plant into a mango plantation and agrotourism destination. He and wife Lorna own 85 percent of the corporation.

At the recent national mango congress in Tagbilaran City, Dodie’s Ecomatci brand of dried mango and mango juice were among the bestsellers. The brand name was derived from the first letters of the names of the brothers and sisters. Besides the traditional slices of dried mango, he has introduced a chocolatecoated version which is probably the first of its kind in the Philippines. The idea was suggested to him by a Norwegian friend. Customers who have tasted this new product, like our friend Sandy Itchon, love the chocolate-coated mango strips.

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It is still nine months away but the members of the mango growers’ association in Pangasinan are already preparing for the holding of the 12th National Mango Congress in Lingayen, Pangasinan on February 22 to 24 next year.

At the recent mango congress in Tagbilaran City attended by a delegation from’Pangasman headed by provincial board member Danny Uy and association president Patricio Evangelista, they revealed the plans for the forthcoming mango convention.

The first two days will be spent in social activities as well,as discussion of the latest developments in the mango industry. Various stakeholders in the industry will showcase their products for the visitors to see. Suppliers of inputs will be there for product presentations.

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The damage inflicted by the Cecid fly on mango fruits, more popularly known as ‘Kurikong’, is becoming an important concern of mango growers in many parts of the country.

Affected fruits are usually unmarketable because of the circular black or brown scabby lesions on the skin of the fruits. Both small and big fruits are affected. If the infestation is early, the affected young fruits usually drop from the tree.

On the other hand, affected fruits that reach maturity are unattractive and if they can be sold at all, they fetch a very low price. Some of the affected fruits also crack, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) experts.

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San Roque is a remote barangay in Digos City. Corn was the staple, food in this town in the 1940s, and then in 1970, some farmers started to plant sugarcane as their main crop. But since the price of sugar fluctuated, they shifted to mango production, which has been booming up to now due to the high demand of both export and local markets.

About 75 percent of the mangoes produced in Digos City came from San Roque, hence it is dubbed as the “mango country of Digos City.” More and more farmers are venturing in mango growing because they earn twice of their income from sugarcane. I am one of them. Like my neighbors, I planted my 2-hectare lot to grafted “Mango Cebu”, a sweet and juicy variety.

But the first farmer in San Roque who has succeeded in mango production is Arnold Nebria. He started as a tenant, and with his net profit, he bought agricultural lands and planted these to mangoes. Today, he grosses an average of P1 million every harvest. Another successful farmer is Victoriano Ramos. In September 2008, this 70-year-old farmer and councilman of San Roque has earned almost a million pesos from mangoes.

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We often think that being armed is the rebels only way to realize their noble goals, to give their children a promising future and to solve the problems of the country. Well, it could be true for some, but not for two Ilonggo ex-rebels who found peace, happiness and new hope in farming.

They are Tony and Nita Capirayan. They joined the rebel forces because they used to believe that armed struggle is the way to help the country and improve their lives. And like other parents, they also wish to give their kids a future by sending them to school. They, however, realized that they couldn’t make this happen if they would stay in the rebel army.

So they left the army to develop the two-hectare land of Tony’s family in Barangay Tacuyong Sur, Leon, Iloilo into a farm. Starting out was really difficult for them because they didn’t have money. Tony said they worked for their neighbors to earn a capital and they sometimes even asked cassava, banana and other foods from their neighbors because they didn’t have enough money to buy food.

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Green or ripe? Pulp or juice? Fresh or dried?

Whatever way you want to have your mango, this well-liked tropical fruit will surely bring in cash to your pocket. So try venturing in mango trading and processing. Who knows, you might just have a knack on this profitable enterprise like Lito Arenas of Manaoag, Pangasinan.

Instead of practicing his nursing career, he opted to go into mango business because he saw the fruit’s potential in both local and international markets. Moreso, he is really inclined to fruit business. At a young age, he started helping his father run their mango farm, and his experiences in growing and marketing mangoes motivated him to follow his father’s footsteps.

With a meager capital of P2,500, he started a mango buying and selling business in the `80s. He then had wider fruit sources and established linkages in different regions. Today, his small buy and sell venture is known as LA Trading, one of the respected and renowned companies in mango trading business.

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Technology has again given Filipino farmers a better option.

The latest technology to control fruit fly infestations in mangoes is the extended hot water treatment (EHWT), a cheaper alternative to the expensive vapor heat treatment (VHT).

The EHWT was developed to cope with China’s new quarantine rules on importing fresh mangoes. Early this year, the government of China announced that it wouldn’t import fresh mangoes that were not subjected to VHT. The VHT process, however, would entail at least an additional US $0.40 per kilo and this added cost would increase the retail price of Philippines’ mangoes in China.

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