Pomelo growers need technical assistance, market support

The pomelo growers earnestly desire to get market access and seek technical assistance in their efforts for agricultural supply and value chain processes.
An official of the Myanmar Pomelo Producers and Exporters Association stated that we cannot raise the price in the domestic market only although the pomelos are cultivated under the Good Agricultural Practices. The awareness campaigns for the GAP system are required to encourage the growers to adopt the GAP system.
“I like to call for the government’s support regarding technical assistance”, he quoted in his sayings.
At present, of 15,000 acres of pomelo cultivation, over 300 acres in Bag Region and 20 acres in Mon State used GAP system only. Conventional farming covers the remaining acres.
The pomelos both in organic and conventional farming are harvested and placed in the domestic market simultaneously. The growers have a lack of foreign demand amidst the pandemic.
There are approximately 15,000 acres of pomelo acreage across the states and regions. However, they can solely rely on the domestic market for now. Only when the growers practice the GAP system widely can they explore foreign markets. The GAP certificate is a must in the competitive external market, he continued.
The GAP adoption and certificate are required to penetrate more external markets and the international markets prefer the fruits produced under the GAP system. The GAP ensures food safety, and the GAP growers can get more market access, locally and internationally, according to the Agriculture Department.
In addition to food safety, GAP also ensures worker safety, health and welfare, and conservation of the environment.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation has encouraged farmers to use its GAP protocol in a bid to boost productivity, profitability, market access, and competitiveness in the agricultural sector. The Agriculture Department will raise awareness of GAP among growers by providing courses. The GAP protocol and guidelines include the most consumed and major export items — mango, pomelo, honeydew, watermelon, avocado, chilli, tomato, onion, cabbage, corn, sesame, various beans, rice, and coffee. – Ko Naing/GNLM