Jakarta — Philippine mango farmers and agriculture officials have visited Indonesia to learn sustainable pest control methods and mango processing techniques as the two countries seek to improve productivity and farmers’ incomes, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Thursday, October 15.
The study tour, held from October 12 to 15 and facilitated by the FAO and Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, brought 12 delegates to mango farms and processing facilities in Majalengka and Cirebon, West Java.
The delegation learned about area-wide management, in which farmers coordinate efforts across a geographic area to control fruit flies while reducing reliance on pesticides. They also explored ways to process lower-grade mangoes into value-added products to reduce food loss and create income opportunities, particularly for women.
“The SSTC framework demonstrates the importance of solidarity, partnership, and mutual learning among developing countries,” said Hotman Fajar Simanjuntak, secretary of the ministry’s Directorate General of Horticulture, referring to FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation initiative, a mutual sharing and exchange of knowledge, experience and technical resources to transform agrifood systems between two or more developing countries.
The Indonesian visit followed a study tour by Indonesian farmers and officials to Guimaras province in the Philippines in July, preceded by virtual knowledge-sharing sessions in May and June.
Lessons from the exchanges will help Philippine authorities develop a fruit fly control and management action plan and guidelines for good agricultural practices. Indonesia, meanwhile, plans to use the findings to strengthen post-harvest management and irrigation.
Frianina Resplandor, a representative of a Philippine farmers’ association, said Indonesia’s collective approach to controlling fruit flies offered lessons that could be adopted by farmers at home.
Indonesia produced 3 million metric tons of mangoes in 2025, but its export value fell 37% to USD 1.1 million, while imports rose 27% to USD 2.32 million, according to Statistics Indonesia. The Philippines produced about 764,000 metric tons in 2024, with mangoes ranking as its third-largest exported fruit crop and supporting around 2.5 million farmers.
FAO said the exchanges were part of efforts to promote more sustainable and competitive agrifood systems through cooperation between developing countries. (nsh)
Banner photo: Mango farmers and government representatives from the Philippines visit Indonesia to learn about sustainable pest control dan post-harvest processing on 12-15 October 2026. (Photo credit: FAO/Harriansyah)
