Indonesian West Java’s Cirebon administration has announced plans to significantly expand the region’s mango production to meet export demand, reports thejakartapost.com.
Currently 2,300ha are under production in West Java, and the plan is to increase this by a further 10,000ha, the article said.
"The expansion is considered as urgent due to the increase in mango demand from abroad," head of Cirebon agriculture, plantation and livestock husbandry office, Ali Effendi, is reported as saying.
"Currently, our total production has yet to meet international demand," said Ali, adding it was expected that there would be around 20,000 farmers who were able to cultivate the land.
West Java’s mangoes are currently exported to Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and the UAE.
Ali said global demand for West Java mangoes was around 200,000 tonnes, and current production only runs to 60,000 tonnes.
He said the export trade offered wider margins for the industry.
"The prices are doubled at the international level. This is a great chance for mango farmers to increase their income," Ali said.
Ali also said that there was planned cooperation with the Japanese authorities to further develop the quality of the fruit.
"The main obstacles faced by farmers are attacks from fruit flies. We will be assisted by the Japanese government in tackling this problem," he said.
"Fruit flies reduce mango quality. If we can deal with this issue, we are optimistic that we will be able to expand our exports to the US and European countries, which tend to be strict in terms of exports and imports."
