The University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao has recently developed a handy mango picker to improve the harvesting process. The mango picker consists of two simple and easy-to-use pickers? one with a triggering device and another without.
The unit with a triggering device has a ring diameter of 20 centimeters. It weighs 848 grams and consists, aside from the triggering devise, a semi-elliptical ring, a catching net, a picker blade assembly, and a blade holder connected to a bicycle cable. It can be attached to a bamboo pole or a stainless steel collapsible pole. A unit has a production cost of P481.00.
The unit without the triggering device weighs 804 grams. It consists of a semi-elliptical ring, a catching net, a picker cable assembly, blade holder, and two blades. It can also be attached to a bamboo pole or stainless steel collapsible pole. The production cost of a picker without the triggering device is P354.00.
The mango picker enhances the capacity of farmers to harvest high-quality mango fruits (due to less latex stain) compared with the existing harvesting using the ‘sigpao’.
The pickers are expected to provide mango farmers higher income due to increase in quality and marketability of fruits. They can also serve as instructional tools in postharvest courses in state universities and colleges, as well as in extension activities on mango harvesting technology for local government units.
