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

Kanbalu District Agriculture Department held a handover ceremony of the Good Agricultural Practices certificate for mango and dragon fruit on 11 May 2022.
The chair of the district administration body gave an opening remark at the GAP certificate handover event. U Soe Aung, head of the District Agriculture Department elaborated on the cultivation under the GAP system. A total of 22 growers engaged in 1,341.09 acres of mango out of 3,052 acres of mango in Kanbalu district and 8.79 acres of dragon fruits are found to follow the GAP protocols. They received the GAP certificates respectively.
A mango grower U Htay Ko, on behalf of the GAP accredited growers, delivered an appreciation speech at the handover event.
The mango cultivation under the GAP system started in the 2016-2017 financial year. It is to promote food products, reduce the risks of contaminating products and fetch higher prices, 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 (Kanbalu)/GNLM