THERE is no oversupply in mango production in the country, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured Monday, following the viral online post of mango being disposed of in San Mateo, Isabela.
“Not necessarily oversupply, pero ito iyong panahon ng peak harvest,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa explained in an interview.
“Iyong mga nakita n’yo sa video, halos sira na, bulok na, o maliit na. Ito na iyong mga huling bahagi siguro ng harvest,” he added.
De Mesa, however, said that mango farmers could have responded to the earlier offer of the DA-Cagayan Valley region for deployment assistance, instead of posting the disposal.
He urged farmers to coordinate with local DA field offices for the deployment of trucks and avoid wastage.
“Paki-usap namin sa kanila, pwedeng i-coordinate sa LGU (local government unit), sa aming mga municipal and city agriculturists, i-coordinate natin sa region,” De Mesa said.
The farmgate price of mango, meanwhile, continues to drop amid the peak harvest season.
From P30 to P55 per kilo, the farmgate price now ranges from P10/kg to P15/kg. (PNA)
