Guimaras and its mangoes bounce back

THE REVIVAL t his year of Guimaras’ Manggahan Festival which celebrates the island’s worldfamous sweet mangoes – after a twoyear break due to the coronavirus pandemic – is made all the more sweeter because the province is marking its 30th or pearl foundation anniversary.

This i s t he “new normal Manggahan Festival”. After two years, Guimaras is holding a physical festival event. The Manggahan AgriTrade Fair has resumed, and so is the exciting Mango-Eat-All-You-Can.

Most of the festival highlights are on May 20, 21, and 22, along with the celebration of the pearl anniversary of the province.

The Manggahan Agri-Trade Fair and the Mango- Eat- All-You- Can events actually opened on May 14. But yes, due to the pandemic, festival activities are a combination of physical and virtual events for the safety of everyone.

The agri-trade fair, which aims to support the economic recovery of the province’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), is being held at the Provincial Capitol Grounds in Jordan town and participated in by 50 exhibitors from various sectors like the agri- business, processed fruits and nuts, and the wearables and homestyle. This will run until

May 22, 2022.

Oh yes, the fair also includes more or less 20 metric tons of mangos being sold in various stalls.

Certainly, Guimaras is gradually gaining its momentum and bouncing back in terms of small and medium industries from the recession it experienced from the effects of the pandemic and a recent typhoon disaster, especially i n mango production. Proof? For the Mango-Eat-All-You-Can alone, this year’s sweet mango allocation is around 10 metric tons! The event area, which is also on the capitol grounds, can accommodate 100 persons per batch for 30 minutes.

Here’s a trivia: Did you know that