Pangasinan mangoes
Posted on June 17, 2002 - Filed Under Business |
If you go around Pangasinan, you can see mango trees everywhere. From the western, central to eastern parts of the province, this fruit- bearing tree really abound.
I regret not being able to attend the recently-concluded farmers and fisherfolks festival last month in Sta. Barbara town as I was then sick. One activity lined up was about mangoes, its business situation, marketing, and other problems besetting mango growers.
I guess it would help a bit if I share this information with you about mangoes in Pangasinan.
Five per cent of our mango production goes each to the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Benguet and in Region II. The remaining 70 per cent goes to Metro Manila.
The outflow of Pangasinan mangoes is to adjacent province and regions in the national level and to major exporting countries like HongKong, Japan and United States.
Marketing scheme adopted by most producers and buyers is the “pakyaw” system with Urdaneta City as the main “Bagsakan Center”. Our sources from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist said that from 1998-2000, Pangasinan ranked first in mango production. Carabao mango as the major variety contributed 40 per cent to the national production (356,970 metric tons) harvested from 513,713 fruit bearing trees based on Bureau of Agricultural Statistics data for year 2000.
This makes Pangasinan the mango basket of Asia for the particular year with San Carlos City supplying the bulk with its 100,000 trees.
Other varieties cultivated are pico and Indian.
Speaking of San Carlos, it’s saddening to note that it sponsored a bamboo and mango festival last April almost unnoticed by media. Many complained about not having been informed (including this corner). We could have written something about it. Sayang.
Data gathered by this deadline beater showed that in Pangasinan, San Carlos City has the biggest number of mango growers with about 1,350. Mangatarem which obviously got its name from the word mangga is far second with only 609 mango growers.
Actually, flower induction starts in early July of the year and harvested in November for the early season called the “monsoon” mangoes. Peak of production is from March to April. One production cycle from flower inducement is 120 days on the average.
How I wish I could have my mango farm when I retire from my writing profession enjoying my leisure time with my children and my apos. That has been my dream as well as my two other friends’, HBB and YSF.
But, it seems to us, it’s like an elusive dream. A wishful thinking.
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