- City agri says durian harvest to peak in September
Davao City is anticipating a surge in durian harvest from late August to September, according to the City Agriculturist Office (CAO). However, despite the increased supply, prices are expected to remain lower than usual this Kadayawan Festival due to a combination of local harvest and imports from neighboring provinces.
Fe Oguio, CAO Durian Focal Person said due to the dry spell, “we expect larger fruit production this year..”
The city forecasts an estimated durian production of 21,000 metric tons in September.
At present, the farmgate price for durian ranges from P50-P70 per kilo, however, premium and exportable variety such as Puyat and D-101 are priced not less than P100 per kilo.
Meanwhile, durian sold near the production areas such as in Calinan can be bought at P25-P30 per kilo.
When asked if the quality differs from exportable to non-exportable variety, she said the export market impacts the domestic market since the latter absorbs the lower-quality fruits.
However, she clarified consumers can still choose from a lot of varieties in the local market, as the agricultural practices of the farmers do not vary from one variety to another.
“It’s just that in the export market, they have a preferred variety,” she said.
She reported there are areas in the city that prefer to plant durian due to its international market opportunity.
The preferred durian for export features five locules and weighs 2-4.5 kilos each. Those that cannot reach the qualification will be processed to be sold in the local market.
She added that due to its international market opportunity, durian farmers are now paying intensive attention to their farms.
Apart from durian, the influx of lanzones and mangosteen in the local market started to increase this month. However, these, including rambutan, and marang, are sourced from Kidapawan City.
At the farmgate price, mangosteen is sold at P25 per kilo, lanzones is around P80 per kilo, and rambutan is at P50 per kilo.
She said the harvest of these fruits in the city is expected to peak in late November to December.
The city is forecasted to harvest 4,000 metric tons of Mangosteen, 4,000 metric tons of Lanzones, and 1,000 metric tons of rambutan.
File photo: Bing Gonzales
