The Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) held an online benchmarking with Thailand’s Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) on May 7, 2021.
The online benchmarking was held to gain better understanding of the agricultural practices and strategies employed by Thailand. This initiative is one of the major activities of the project, “Rapid Market Appraisal for Underutilized Fruits (Guava, Soursop, Sugar Apple, and Tamarind) in the Philippines (RMA Fruits Project),” implemented by the DOST-PCAARRD’s Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD).
Thailand shares similar agro-climatic conditions with the Philippines that makes the country as the best site for benchmarking. The RMA Fruits Project team sought the experiences of Thailand’s HRI particularly in developing the guava, soursop, sugar apple, and tamarind industries and later identify which ones can be applied in the Philippine setting.
In both countries, guava, soursop, sugar apple, and tamarind are identified as minor fruits.
Supattra Lertwatanakiat, a senior fruit crop expert from HRI, presented Thailand’s industry information and shared the country’s vision for the four commodities. She also shared the activities and processes along the chain, and the R&D strategies such as breeding programs to improve the varieties of these fruits.
From the discussion, the project team learned that Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are strictly implemented among farmers in Thailand. Through this, they are able to ensure their income and assure quality commodities for their consumers. The four minor fruits also showed great potential as commercially-grown crops, given their demand as fresh and processed fruits in the domestic and international market. With these, therefore, there is a need to develop more R&D programs in the Philippines focused on processing, pest control, and varietal improvement as they do in Thailand.
The RMA Fruits Project Team is composed of Dr. Ernesto O. Brown, SERD Director, and his staff, Princess Alma B. Ani, Annette M. Tobias, Rocel Antonnete M. Peñamora, Ian Bernard M. Ines, Tessa Lyrene DC. Lantican, and Danica Louise C. Sembrano. The project will be completed by the end of May this year.