2 articles on new Philippine mango export irradiator CEBU MANGO INDUSTRY TO GET IRRADIATION FACILITY Asia Pulse November 25, 2003 Tuesday Cebu City, Philippines: The dream of Cebu's mango industry to have a common irradiation facility in the province is near realization. The facility will give mangoes from outside the island-province of Guimaras the chance to enter international markets with strict phyto-sanitary requirements such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Visayas Chamber of Mango Industry Multipurpose cooperative (VCMIMC) chairman Romulo Senining said. The P187-million (US $3.36 million) grant from the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) for the establishment of the irradiation facility will soon be turned over to the cooperative, which was tasked to manage the facility. VCMIMC aims to make the facility operational by the last quarter of next year or the first quarter of 2005, he said. An irradiator would rid mangoes of pests and prolong their shelf life, making them acceptable to the US and European markets. To date, only Guimaras Island has the facility. VCMIMC member of the board of trustees Virgie dela Fuente said the top market of Central Visayas mangoes is Hong Kong because it does not have strict phyto-sanitary requirements. She said of the P187-million grant for the irradiator, P20 million will go to the land, P151 million to the infrastructure and the equipment. The rest will be for the cooperative's working capital. VCMIMC earlier conducted a feasibility study, the cost of which was also shouldered by the USAID. According to the study, the irradiation facility will treat 10,000 metric tons (MT) of mangoes in its first year of operation; 16,000 MT in its second year; and 20,000 MT in its third year, Dela Fuente said. The cooperative is looking at Consolacion as the location of the facility because of its proximity to the second international seaport. However, it is still open to looking at other areas. The irradiation facility will need at least two hectares, she said during the Kapihan sa PIA on Wednesday. Dela Fuente also invited exporters, processors and growers of mangoes to learn new technologies during the three-day 5th National Mango Congress to kick off on Nov. 25. One of these is the modified packaging technology that can delay the ripening of mango to 22-24 days. The natural ripening period of mangoes is seven to nine days. "This new technology will allow mango traders to reduce their delivery cost, as they can deliver mangoes through ships instead of planes," she said. PHILIPPINES MANGO INDUSTRY EYEING EUROPE MARAKET Asia Pulse December 1, 2003 Cebu City: Bright prospects await local mango farmers in the international market. The Philippine agricultural attache in Europe had informed the government that there is a large potential market for the country's mangoes. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in a speech delivered by DTI undersecretary Thomas Aquino during the closing ceremony of 5th National Mango Congress, said that a Belgium supermarket cited the Philippine mango variety to be a "star" product, which was grown and harvested with personal care. Europe's major supermarket chains prefer Philippine mangoes from those grown in Central America and African region. "This is a chance that we have all been waiting for, a market that is ripe for business," Arroyo said. With the Development Pres. Arroyo urged the mango stakeholders to ride the upswell in demand of mango for international market. In the year 2000. the United States was the world top market for mangoes, followed by The Netherlands and Hongkong. Other major markets of Philippine mangoes were France and Japan. The Philippines was the 4th largest exporter of fresh mango after Mexico, Brazil and Pakistan. Among the world producers of fresh mango, the Philippines ranked number 7 in 2001. The Philippines began exporting fresh mango to the United States only in May last year, penetrating the $220 million mango market dominated by Mexico. Last year, the country produced 955,886 metric tons of mangoes representing a growth rate of 8.8 percent. Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo projected an increase of 20 percent in mango exports this year. The growth in exports would result from the rising demand in Middle East and Asian neighboring countries like Japan and China, Lorenzo said. "The demand for mango is increasing both in local and foreign markets," Lorenzo said. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that a palpable increase in local per capita consumption was noted from 5.74 in year 1991 and 12 kilogram in 1998. The Department of Agriculture is drafting roadmaps for various fruits with export potential. A final roadmap is being drafted for mango. "We have to lay out roadmaps for the development of a few priority commodities toward self-sufficiency and global competitiveness," Lorenzo said. Earlier, Cebu mango stakeholders cited the need for the country to increase its exports of fresh mango. The proposed irradiation facility to be set up in Consolacion would enable Cebu produced mangoes to gain access to the lucrative US market. The United States Department of Agriculture requires mangoes to undergo treatment before these could enter the US. However, Cebu mangoes could not penetrate the US market in the absence of an adequate treatment facility. Once the facility is completed, Cebu would be able to penetrate the US market, industry leaders said.