Mango

Mango, locally known as “mangga” and scientifically named Mangifera indica L., is the Philippines’ national fruit. It is also the third most important fruit crop based on export volume in the Philippines, next to banana and pineapple. The Philippines ranks 10th among the top producers of mango in the world with a 2.5% share in production (FAO  2014). Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as of 2021, Ilocos Region remained the top mango producer with 124.68 thousand metric tons, contributing 22.4 percent to the national production, followed by SOCCSKSARGEN and Zamboanga Peninsula, which both shared 9.8 percent to the national output. With a very high potential as a fresh or processed export product to other untapped export destinations, ‘Carabao’ mango is a wide variety, with 450.48 thousand metric tons produced from April to June 2021, accounting for 80.9 percent of the total production in the Philippines. 

The mango production in the Philippines is still constrained by several problems that limit its full potential. These include impacts of climate change, pests and diseases, poor nutrition, low adoption of improved technologies, post-harvest losses that cause substantial reduction in fruit yield and quality, and lack of government regulations, reforms, and support. 

The industry faces pests and diseases such as mango twig borer (MTB), a significant insect pest in mango orchards. Other pests and diseases include scab, anthracnose, and stem-end rot. Mango scab is caused by fungal pathogen, initially present as small dark brown or gray spots on the underside of leaves or fruit, developing a velvety or cracked texture in the center of the lesion over time. It infects young fruit, twigs, leaves, and blossom spikes. Anthracnose and stem-end rot, on the other hand, are considered the most severe and destructive diseases of mango. Anthracnose infects almost all mango parts, including floral panicles, twigs, leaves, and fruits of mature and immature trees. Moreover, stem-end rot is a significant problem caused by fungi, limiting the storage of mango fruits and shelf life.