3,000 Kilos of Mangoes in Isabela Discarded by Farmer Due to Overripeness and Market Glut
A farmer in Isabela had to throw away approximately 3,000 kilos of unsold mangoes because they couldn’t be sold.
The farmer identified as Frederick Marcos Cayaban, lost an estimated P84,000 from the discarded mangoes in San Mateo, Isabela. He explained that the mangoes, which were part of a 15,000-kilo delivery, reached Metro Manila but couldn’t be sold due to long queues and an oversupply at the processing plant.
“Pagdating sa Metro Manila masyadong mahaba po ang pila dahil marami na po ang supply sa planta. Inabutan po siya ng hinog doon kasi nakulog po ma’am. Closed van po kasi ang pinagkargahan namin kaya nahinog na rin,” Cayaban explained.
In Cayaban’s place, the price of mangoes had also dropped from P20 per kilo at the end of April to as low as P5 to P7 per kilo in the following days. Despite this, some of the mangoes were still put to good use and distributed to neighbors.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stated that it is currently the peak harvest season for mangoes, but they do not consider this an “oversupply.”
“Not necessarily oversupply, pero ito yung panahon na peak ng harvest. ‘Yung nangyari sa San Mateo, Isabela… parang kamatis ‘yan, yung kamatis na tinatapon normally, ‘yon yung mga panghuling stages na marami na silang harvest. Ganun din ‘yung mangga. Everyday, almost nagha-harvest,” de Mesa explained.
The Agriculture Department has mechanisms in place to reduce the waste of farmers’ produce. Farmers need to coordinate with local governments, regional field offices, selected cooperatives, and city agriculturists.
Cayaban mentioned that the DA helped him through the KADIWA program, which purchased around 800 kilos of his mangoes, making a huge difference for him. However, he hopes that such programs will become regular to support local farmers like him consistently.
In a similar report, farmers forced to dispose of unsold cabbages elicit reactions online
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