President Danilo Medina traveled to Baní on Sunday, 8 April 2018 to meet with mango exporters and offer government support. As reported by the Presidency, Medina committed to finance the construction of a packaging plant in the area and make available working capital for the export and local commercializing of the mangos.
The Presidency also committed low cost financing for the installation of a hydrothermal treatment plant to process mangos for export. The hot-water treatment process ensures killing the “fruit fly” that has diminished local capacity to increase exports.
As reported, the Presidency also committed to donate a tractor and truck to assist the smaller producers.
Medina and government officials met with representatives of the 162 producer-members of the Baní Association of Mango Producers (Abapromango). Abapromango expects to have available 535,500 boxes of 5 kilograms, of which 40% would be for export and 60% for the domestic market. Exports for 2018 are estimated at RD$70 million. If the above mentioned measures are implemented, exports could be much more.
Andrés Mejía Báez, president of Abapromango, celebrated the visit of President Medina. He said they had waited two years to get on the agenda of presidential visits. He said that there is an overproduction that can be industrialized. He said they have also made contacts with the Instituto Nacional de Bienestar Estudiantil (INABIE), the procurement agency for public school meal purchases.
President Danilo Medina declared 2018 is the Year for the Promotion of Exports and highlighted that by backing exporters the living standards of the Baní population is enhanced.
The Presidency reported around 6,300 hectares (100,000 tareas) are dedicated to mango production in the Baní area. These are distributed in 1,600 commercial plantations. The southern region is the most important mango producing region in the country. 85% of the local production comes from the southern provinces of Peravia (Baní), San Cristóbal, Azua, San Juan de la Maguana, Barahona and Bahoruco (Neyba).
There are over 200 varieties of mangos produced in the Dominican Republic, most harvested from March to August. Exports are shipped primarily to England, Germany, France, the United States and Caribbean islands. 60% of the exports are Keith variety mangos.
Mango is the third most commercialized Dominican fruit, after bananas and pineapples. The Dominican Republic is among the 20 largest mango exporters worldwide.
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Presidencia
9 April 2018
