Analyzing Market-based Opportunities in the Mango Supply Chain of Davao City: A Rapid Market Assessment

Abstract

Products and services become meaningful when available and positioned from the customer’s perspective. Exploring the supply chain of mango in Davao City, Southern Philippines, unveils different nodes having different characteristics and buying requirements. We analyzed market-based opportunities in the mango supply chain to inform mango producers which attractive markets they should prioritize as well as identified opportunities for improvement in production and marketing. We utilized a rapid market assessment (RMA) approach to identify the different market nodes and their characteristics. Snowball sampling was used to determine the respondents for this study. A total of 28 face-to-face interviews were done using a semi-structured questionnaire. From the producers’ point of view, we assess the relative attractiveness of the nodes by employing a simple scoring method on the data on volume of requirement, buying price (at the time of interview), support services provided to farmers, and stage of node life cycle. Results show that the exporters’ node has the highest attractiveness score followed by direct wholesalers, primary wholesalers, and processors. We recommend the following practical suggestions for producer groups to target these attractive markets: (1) improve overall quality of mangoes; (2) perform sorting and grading; (3) adopt cost-effective postharvest technology; and (4) develop cost-effective off-season production farming system.