LOS BAÑOS, Laguna– PCAARRD recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with seven implementing agencies to expand the supply of safe and export quality mango fruits in the country.
The agreement, among other things, stipulates the provision of additional funds for the implementation of the ongoing project titled “S&T-based Integrated Crop Management (ICM), Postharvest Quality Management (PQM) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Adoption for Mango in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12.”
The additional funds will be used in increasing the number of mango grower clusters in the target regions. With its implementation, the yield in each region as well as the recovery of export quality fruits is expected to increase.
Activities under the project include trainings on ICM, PQM, and GAP, and production of information, education and communication (IEC) materials such as training manuals and leaflets.
The project which is expected to end in 2015 is under the Industry Strategic S&T Plan (ISP) for Mango.
The implementers of the project are the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), Pangasinan State University (PSU), Isabela State University (ISU), Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU), and Bureau of Plant Industry-National Mango Research and Development Center (BPI-NMRDC).