Mindanao fruits in high demand in Metro Manila

Mindanao fruits particularly durian are in great demand, with orders reaching P2.56 million in less than two months.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said the Mindanao Fruits Industry Development Council (Minfruit Council) sold 27 metric tons worth P2.56 million since Sept. 15 when a council-sponsored fruit festival opened.

The fruits were bound for Metro Manila.

Top grosser was durian which generated P1.6 million worth of sales. Other popular exotic fruits from Mindanao are pomelo, mango, mangosteen, rambutan, cashew, jackfruit, longkong and coconut.

The strong sales reportedly prompted Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to instruct the department to look for more outlets in Metro Manila through the agency’s accredited bagsakan/wholesale market centers.

Prices offered by the Minfruit Council at the bagsakan centers are cheaper than those offered in Metro Manila supermarkets. “For durian, the council’s selling price is only P80 per kilo versus supermarkets’ P150,” Salacup said.

The fruit festival was organized not only to increase the sale of exotic Mindanao fruits to the rest of the Philippines. It also helps reduce spoilage through direct sales by producers to outlets in Metro Manila and Luzon.

“This is part of the market linkage program of the DA. We also want to prevent the spoilage of fruits in Mindanao and boost the farmers’ earnings,” Yap said in a statement.

The fruits were sourced mainly from Davao City, Kidapawan City and North Cotabato in Mindanao.

Durian is grown predominantly in Southern Mindanao, particularly in the Davao region. Industry figures show that 7,000 hectares of the region’s farmland is planted to durian. The area annually produces 18,000 metric tons of the fruit, which are shipped to markets in Mindanao and key cities in the Visayas and Luzon.