Fruit producers need more technical know-how

Saying that Mindanao fruit production has great potential for expansion, Larry Miculob, treasurer andmember of the board of trustees of the Mindanao Fruit Council, said fruit farmers still need to upgrade their technical knowledge in order to maximize yield.
Rating the farmers from 20% to 30% in terms of knowledge,  Miculob said the lack of knowledge is seen as an obstacle in increasing production yields of their fruits.                                                     
Currently, farmers are harvesting only about 20% to 25% out of the total production potential. He said infrastructure, like irrigation facilities and technical support are needed by the farmers.
Guesting in the January 13 Club 888 media forum at The Marco Polo Davao , Miculob  bared that Region 11 is Mindanao ’s top producer of banana, pineapple, mango and pomelo. He said the market is growing, particularly overseas where countries in Europe and the Middle East are looking at Southeast Asia as a major supplier of fruits.
“They are looking now at Mindanao to supply their demand, especially with what has been happening in Luzon as a result of frequent typhoons. “ Miculob said. He added that the country’s fruit production is lagging behind many of their neighboring Asian countries.
He said that added knowledge for farmers is very important, particularly with the expanding market and the onset of climate change which has altered cropping seasons. One effect of climate change, Miculob added, is that dry and wet seasons are no longer occurring normally.
He cited how fruit farmers are now expecting bumper fruit production during the period of  March to April when normally that is the time of the year when there are no such yields.
He also said that small fruit growers are likely to be affected by the onset of the El Niño phenomenon.
Miculob narrated his experience when El Niño in the early 90s nearly wiped out his newly-planted durian trees. Anticipating the second El Niño in the mid 1990s, he came prepared with a modular irrigation system which helped him stave off the dry spell.  [PIA 11 ]