Hailed as Davao’s pomelo king, Carmelito Mercado is arguably the top pomelo producer and distributor in the Philippines. From his humble beginnings as a trader, Mercado’s determination and thirst for knowledge to improve his business has bore fruit.
In 1982, Mercado inherited his family trading business. As surplus of langsat and rambutan easily spoil, he opted to focus on the imperishable pomelo. Since the fruit quality and yield of small-scale pomelo farmers were inconsistent, Mercado decided to venture in production.
As a graduate of Commerce, farming isn’t a part of his skill. His friends invited him to join the Davao Fruit Association, where he learned the basics of farming. A fervent self-made scholar, Mercado purchased several books from the US on citrus farming.
What started as a 1-hectare lease has now expanded to the 350-hectare Davao Golden Pomelo Farm that Mercado owns. It produces the Magallanes variety – the preferred variety of Filipinos for its sweet pink flesh. The oldest trees in the farm are 17 years old and can bore as much as 600 kg per plant.
Through experimentation in agronomic practices, the Magallanes variety can now reach a brix level of 13. “We try to make the best possible condition for the plants to fruit,” says Mercado. “If there are problems, my technical group brainstorms and provides the solutions.”
One of the problems he mentioned is the citrus rind borer (Prays endocarpa Meyr). This moth’s larvae burrow and feed on the pulp. Gall-like swelling and lumps on the fruit skin indicates rind borer infection. Mercado controls this pest by using pesticides and other integrated pest management practices.
Mercado also trims branches infected with whiteflies. Whitefly infestation creates scabs, affecting the taste and even leads to fruit drop. Infected branches are trimmed and burned.
Pomelo farms in Mindanao are also affected by the gummosis disease caused by Phytophthora sp. Fruit rot occurs when sap oozes from wounds and cankers. Mercado uses copper-based chemicals to combat this. “It is important to properly identify the disease to provide the appropriate control,” said Mercado.
Mercado has no plans to expand in pomelo processing. “We want to focus on production. There is a lot of areas for improvement. However, the [TFNet-BPI] workshop gave me an idea to venture into minimally processed fruits that can be sold in supermarkets here in Davao.”
Hi po grd 6 student po ako ask ko lang po Kung ano po talaga Ang exact address ng farm.. Kasi mag punta kami next year hehe ty po