Guimaras mangoes to break into Australia, EU
Manila Times
May 14, 2016
Mangoes from the island province of Guimaras will soon find a place in Australian markets and several countries in the European Union in 2017.
Reelected Guimaras Gov. Samuel Gumarin said preparations are underway for the mango exports to Australia in cooperation with the provincial government and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
This, after European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen with the Romanian Charg? d?Affaires, A.I. Mihai Sion and German Deputy Ambassador Michael Hasper visited Guimaras Island in April and tasted the world famous sweetest mango during the celebration of the annual Manggahan Festival.
Gumarin said the EU diplomats met with local mango industry stakeholders and saw the potential of the island?s premier product to break into the international market in Europe by adherence to intellectual property rights and geographical indication (GI) standards.
The governor said they are going to submit the compliance to the Code of Practice by September 2016 that will also cover the phytosanitary procedures in order to achieve the GI seal.
Provincial agriculture office Ronnie Morente said local mango producers are ready to export their products to other countries. The island province has more than 6,000 hectares devoted to mangoes, with more than 100,000 fruit-bearing trees.
Mango plantations and orchards are dominant in the towns of Buenavista and Nueva Valencia. Backyard plantations are mostly in the towns of Jordan, San Lorenzo and Sibunag.
Morente said that this year, mango fruit production reached more than 11,000 metric tons, as the summer season reaches its limit by the month of June. Income from fresh mangoes is estimated to be more than P500 million this year, but processing and value added may bring more income to mango producers.?
Related release from Sun Star Iloilo.