Sagiang Region Agriculture Department hands over GAP certificates for mango, dragon fruit growers

 

May 18

 

AGRICULTURE Department in Kantbalu and Kyunhla townships held a handover ceremony of the Good Agricultural Practice certificates for 20 mango and dragon fruit growers on 17 May 2023, covering over 1,348 acres.

 

Seintalone mango produced from those townships is sent to the domestic market as well as foreign countries.

 

U Soe Aung, head of the District Agriculture Department gave a remark regarding the objectives of the GAP certificate. This practice is to promote food products and reduce the risks of contamination along the supply chain from farmers to consumers, the growers said.

 

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 raised 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.

 

The number of acreages cultivated under good agricultural practices (GAP) increased year over year, on account of the benefits of GAP. — Aung Win Nyein/ EM