Overview
This project aimed to build capacity in Cambodian mango tree crop research, in varietal selection, crop growth management, pest and disease management, postharvest handling, and supply chain management.
Mango is Cambodia's second most important fruit crop. The Royal Government of Cambodia intends to expand the domestic and export opportunities for mangoes. The Government signed an MOU in December 2015 with the South Korean Government to develop mango exports.
Cambodian mango varieties such as Keo Romeat are well regarded in Thai and Vietnamese markets, but constraints need to be addressed before mangoes can be exported on a large scale.
Project Outcomes
To enable Cambodia to compete at an international level, improvements need to be made across the whole production/market continuum, particularly to meet phytosanitary requirements. The project aimed to:
- develop and evaluate integrated crop management strategies;
- identify and prioritise key supply chain constraints including postharvest losses, packaging, storage and transport;
- design and implement a pathway to adoption of improved management options; and
- build capacity of the Cambodian research, development and extension system.
Outputs included a variety of best-practice workshops and training resources, pest surveys, disease-free plant nurseries, safe pesticide techniques and a supply chain evaluation report. A separate component of research in Australia examined the manipulation of fruit maturity and the biocontrol of a major pest, the fruitspotting bug. Lessons learned from each component became applicable to the mango industry in both countries.
