By Yvette Tan
By Yvette Tan
Photos courtesy of Jam Melchor
There’s a glut of mangoes in the Luzon market, and a chef has put out a call to help relieve it.
Reports of tons of produce dumped by the side of the road by frustrated farmers who’ve grown too much but have no access to buyers have been a depressing occurrence in social media. Chef and Filipino food advocate Jam Melchor, founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement, is determined not to let this happen again.
The chef put out a call on Facebook, tagging numerous chefs, restaurateurs, and food advocates in the comments
The post reads:
“Food industry friends, we need to help our mango farmers! Sweet, velvety, soft and scandalously succulent – we have the best mangoes in the world!
“This season, they are producing about 100 tons per week. One truck can contain 4 tons. They can give it at P25/K if 4 tons ang order. Export grade is at P50/k. You may call DA Main office (AMAS) at (02) 925 3795 so they can link you directly to these mango producers.
“Remember that picture of tons and tons of locally grown tomatoes dumped by farmers in Laguna in a waste dumpsite last year was very troubling. For one, the farmers toiled to grow those tomatoes and now they got nothing for their effort.
“Those tomato farmers figured they have nothing more to lose and decided to keep their pride by dumping their produce instead. That deprived the traders of the opportunity to make their unholy profits at their expense.
“Let us not wait for the time when our farmers will give up on us. It is time to rethink how each of us can help them, even in small ways. #PhilippineMango #SupportourFarmers #LoveLocal #ItsmorefuninthePhilippines #PreserveFilipinoFood
“PLEASE SHARE and HELP SPREAD THE WORD.“
Melchor found out about the excess supply of Manila mangoes and expoort quality carabao mangoes mangoes because he received a message from the Department of Agriculture asking for help in connecting farmers to key players in the food industry.
The post, Melchor says, hopes to “at least to link this farmers directly to the potential buyers or consumers avoiding traders.“
There is such an excess. of mangoes that, “Some mango farmers in Northern Luzon are giving it away for free because of oversupply.“
He added that Guimaras mangoes are more expensive, averaging about Php150 per kilo in Manila because of transportation expenses. Meanwhile, mangoes that come from areas in Luzon can fetch as low as Php 25-50 per kilo because transportation costs less.
It’s important for farmers to figure out who they’re going to sell their produce to even before they plant the first seed.
Melchor stressed the importance of farmers needing to think about how to sell their product before planting. “Farmers needs to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture’s marketing services so they can help them look for potential buyers ahead of time or before harvesting. Not after harvesting. This will be very difficult because, mango’s life span is only three to four days.“
Anyone can help local farmers. “Buy directly from farmers and for restaurants and food businesses, use what’s in season,“ Melchor says.
Interested parties can call the Department of Agriculture’s main office at (02) 925 3795.
What is your reaction?
Really? You care to the mango farmers but not on the rice farmers?
Crab mentality na lang! Sobrang mahal ng kagamitan sa pagsasaka ng palay tapos wala man lang maramdaman na malasakit ang gobyerno!
Nabenta sa 14.10 pesos per kilo ang inani ko sa bukid. Pinaghirapan ng 4 na buwan. Less expenses may kinita na 20,000 pesos for 2 hectares? Darak na pagkain ng baboy 16 pesos that time! Pagkain ng tao 14 pesos?
Maawa kayo sa mga magsasaka!!! Wag nyong hayaang ibenta na lang ng mga magsasaka ang mga lupa nila at gawing poultry farm na lang.
Wala nang future para sa magsasakang Filipino.
Para ito sa lahat.
The problem sometimes is those who sell them in the road side, if they’ll see you you have a nice vehicle the price will go high. One time I was just walking in the are of Zambales in which I did it on purpose just to try if my doubt is true. I bought one kilo of mango for Php 100, after that my wife pick me up , then we drove off on our way back the same vendor I stop again and my wife ask the same vendor and the vendor said it’s Php 150 a kilo… I drove off
The sweetest and most flavorful mangoes in the world that money can buy.
What we have here are always extremely sour.
We hae an.open market for.mangoes in Korea. Why don’t ypu export them? You may coordinate with DTI or with the BOC for export data of mangoes to Korea and other parts of the world.
Can local governments set up food processing places so that mango harvests can be made into juice, candies, jams, chutneys, and other products? These places can buy the produce at a fair price so the farmers can earn an income and not be at the mercy of traders. This will require investment in machinery, refrigeration, etc but will go a long way in supporting the industry. Right now there is no govt support. There shd be a Mango Administration office of some sort so all provinces that raise mangoes are covered. Treat mango produce like they do rice, sugar, coconut, and tobacco.
Pwede pba bumili ng isang tikled ng hilaw ng mango
Hello!
Kindly contact the number located at the end of the article for more information. Thanks!
Also stay tuned to agriculture.com.ph for more Pinoy agri-related stories.
35 po 1/2kg… pano ka naman po makakabili sa ganyang ka mahal. Half kilo ay 1 or 2 maliliit 35 pesos na kaya nabubulok mangga sa maila eh kasi di nabebenta
DA SHOULD LOOK FOR A PLACE TO SELL THE MANGOES NOT ON A WHOLESALE BASIS.THE THIRD PARTY SELLERS ARE THE ONES EARNING MONEY NOT THE FARMERS.THE CURRENT SELLING PRICE IS 100-140/KG.THEY BUY IT FROM FARMERS AT 40-50/KG, SOBRANG MARK-UP NMAN YAN.WHY DONT YOU PUT UP A STALL IN YOUR OFFICE GROUND WHERE BUYERS CAN COME AND BUY AT FARMER’S PRICE( HIGHER THAN THEIR PRICE TO WHOLESALE BUYERS), TJAT WAY YOU ARE HELPING THE FARMERS AND MAK8NG MANGOES TO AVAILABLE TO.CUSTOMERS AT A CHEAPER PRICE. SHOOTING TWO BIRDS W/ 1 STONE.
I Agree with you Ms Fe. One main reason is pricing of 3rd party sellers, especially here in Manila, sobrang mark-up, kaya nman madalas hindi nasasama sa budgeting ng average earned na kababayan natin
Maybe the government should start teaching them how to make another product from those excess fruits, just like in thailand even the rind/peel of pomelo they are selling it as candies and selling it for 100-120 baht (160-200 Php). Im sure thats a perennial problem arising from different parts of our country which is the overproduction of a certain fruits or vegetables. The government should identify those products from different regions in the Philippines, initiate to teach the people there how to make another product (DEPT OF AGRICULTURE & DEPT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY), have a nice packaging and start selling it to foreign visitors!
Where exactly is this located? Do you know if these are still available today?
Hello!
Kindly contact the number found at the end of the article. Thanks!
Stay tuned to agriculture.com.ph for more Pinoy agri-related stories.
Why are mangoes still expensive in the public market and supermarkets? Still at 180-220 per kilo.
Kahit ano ang gawin ng Farmers sa palay, manga, mais, gulay at iba pang produkto sa bukid, pag anihan bababa lahat ng presio ng mga ito. Dapat magtulongan ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno na magkaroon ng talakayan tungkol sa marketing, processing, at transportation.