MANAOAG–Stay on top.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap gave this advice to local government officials and farmers in the province, which is currently the top mango producer in the country accounting for about 40% of the total national output.

Yap said the future is bright for the industry as by mid-2008, the country will already be able to export mangoes directly to continental USA.

He called on provincial officials to help the farmers by identifying additional areas for planting.

Based on data from the Department of Agriculture, the national average yield of mango in the Philippines has been constantly increasing from 7.40 metric tons to a high of 11.05 met Cavite),15.6%;  Cagayan Valley (Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela) 11.9%; Central Luzon (Bulacan and Nueva Ecija), 8.7%; and Western Visayas (Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Guimaras), 12.6%.

San Carlos City, the biggest mango producer in the province, holds an annual Mango Festival in April.

Worldwide production is heavily concentrated in Asia, accounting for 77% followed by South and Northern America with 13 percent share, Africa with 9 percent share and Oceana at 1 percent share.

Over half of the world mango production is produced by India. The other major mango producers aside from the Philippines include China, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil.

The Philippines ranks fifth with an estimated 4%of the world production.

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