Philippines Books

Mangoes- The Money Tree

The Philippines currently ranks as the fifth largest producer of Mangoes in the world, and the fourth largest in Asia. India, where mangoes probably originated over 4,000 years ago is by far the largest, but domestic consumption takes most of their crop. Hong Kong and Japan are the biggest buyers of Philippine grown mangoes. The mango tree, a relative of the cashew, pistachio and marula trees, is a
hardy plant that prefers hot and humid conditions and lowland areas. Trees will fruit in 4 to 5 years and continue to do so for decades to come. As a rule of thumb, you can expect to make about P40,000-60,000 a year from each tree according to a mango grower I spoke to last year.  He claimed that each tree, when mature and properly harvested and maintained, can yield up to 2 metric tonnes of fruit, at around P20-30 a kilo.  I would think that these figures can be improved upon and offer them only as a guide. 

Each tree requires at least 100 sqm of space, they have a 6m deep tap root and many other roots growing off of that so on my 2000 sqm lot I could plant 20 trees.  Planting from seedlings requires patience and a lot of care. Far better to plant more mature trees. Seedlings go for around P50-100
each, and grafted saplings about P500. There are two main varieties, the Pico and the Carabao.  The Carabao variety is the more popular and by far the one to plant.  

The trees need to be sprayed to help flowering and to prevent fungicides and pests from ruining your crop. Cebu pioneered the bagging of fruit in the late 1980’s and today most commercial orchards follow this practise.  Some use newspaper, while others prefer brown paper bags, the baggers being paid a few centavo’s per fruit bagged.

Harvesting usually happens in spring, but of course your final market will have a bearing on when you harvest and how you keep the fruit until it ripens.  If  you are exporting then you will probably harvest earlier and keep the fruit cool (10-13 degrees celsius) to prevent black spots and early ripening.  There are about half a dozen major exporters in the country and the smart money is to sell your crop to them, rather than endure the drama of developing an export market yourself.  Once you are ready to harvest, local buyers will appear magically so don’t sweat that part of the process. What is most important is that you hire at least one experienced local who knows mangos.  On top of that, you can also attend courses held by MIN, the Mango Information Network, http://www.min.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph  and the Department of Agriculture http://www.da.gov.ph to learn more about this crop.  I would also suggest a “Google” search using “growing mangoes” or similar
and the wealth of information that is produced will keep you reading for days!

Be wary of sites that detail mango information applicable to Australia, South Africa or anywhere other than the Philippines.  There is more than enough local info available to use as a guide, although some of the other countries may well be further ahead in the application of technology.  However, you are
growing in the Philippines and it will pay not to be too radical at first.  Keep the overseas methods for the years ahead, when you are already making a decent living doing it the same way the locals do, tried and tested.

Other tips to consider are that you should keep the dead branch material around the base of the trees under control.  The same can be said for pruning to assist spraying and also sunlight penetration.  Most pests prefer to eat your trees in the dark, well pruned trees will make life harder for them.
So too will planting bamboo nearby as there is a beetle that lives in bamboo that loves the pest that eats mango trees!  Nature at work, chemical free! Man farmers also cross plant other crops between the trees to help with fertilization of the soil and to increase the yield from their land.

Mangoes are a great cash crop and safer than many other choices, but they do take time to mature and produce a harvest.  They take work, care and effort, like any other crop but they can give you a nice little earner as the years go by.