2. WELCOME ADDRESS

Soetatwo Hadiwigeno*

* Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.

I am glad to see the keen interest shown by the fruit experts in Asia on a subject which is of high economic significance to many less endowed communities living in relative isolation, where social structures need help to build up and improve their agricultural base. Since production problems in this unique agro-ecological niche are common to all countries, we have decided to host this consultation in order to provide a forum to discuss and deliberate on common problems in a spirit of inter-country cooperation. It is my hope that this meeting will be a valuable and rewarding experience for all of you.

Many countries in Asia have physiographic features and climatic conditions that could be effectively exploited for the production of deciduous fruits. However, the production systems that are already in place and which have been developed by farmers themselves are comparatively inefficient and less competitive. These traditional systems are no longer economically viable. Whilst many farmers in the highlands have held on to these traditional systems as a means of survival, others have abandoned these areas and moved in search of better prospects. Vast areas that have been abandoned have been subject to environmental degradation through neglect. Many governments have resorted to interventions such as re-afforestation to stabilize these areas. Whilst these attempts have helped to restore the ecological balance, the problem of de-population has not been arrested and most countries are grappling with the problem of re-settling people in these areas and improving the conditions for farmers to develop agriculture on a settled basis.

In searching for viable alternatives for the hilly and mountainous areas, we may attempt to promote a transformation of existing traditional systems in favour of commercialized and more remunerative production systems. Most countries today have active researchers working on the adaptation of new crops and better varieties which have high marketability. A multitude of such crops and cultivars are available. I must take this opportunity to commend the work of those scientists who have successfully introduced several deciduous fruit crops into many countries of the region through these programs that have been meticulously engineered by these scientists to blend into the framework of highland agriculture strategies.

This kind of approach which doubtless, has considerable merit, may not be the overall solution for a full-scale agricultural development strategy. Since farm holdings are relatively small and the terrain is difficult to manage, a highly specialized crop diversification plan is needed to intensify agriculture to the extent that farmers derive greater benefits for their efforts.

Deciduous fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, plums apricots, nectarines, persimmons etc., seem to adapt well to the highland areas. These crops also help to stabilize hill slopes and arrest environmental degradation, even without resorting to expensive bench terracing, which has been the traditional system in the hill and mountainous areas.

Transport is often difficult from some of the inaccessible areas, but these fruits tend to have better shelf-life and storability than most tropical fruits and are also more amenable to drying. Other possibilities for the producer are simple fruit preservation techniques in order to help better utilization and marketing. Once these fruits reach urban markets, there is ready acceptance as they are non-traditional commodities much sought after by consumers.

As mentioned earlier, highland areas of the tropics are characterized by steep slopes and highly indented valleys that have poor road accessibility and communications. Most areas support populations that have few avenues for development, which often results in abandoning the land and migrating to lower elevations and urban areas which offer alternate avenues for survival. There is also a lack of programs for such regions as they are not well patronized by governments or by the private sector. A well-organized development plan for the production of deciduous fruits would help generate more income through the supply of these non-traditional commodities to markets within each country and can even substitute expensive imports.

It must be borne in mind, however, that there are many production technology gaps for the successful cultivation of deciduous fruits in tropical highlands. This is a challenge for the production specialists who are called upon to cater to the needs of every crop and variety.

The first step in the process of deciduous fruit development would be to identify superior cultivars of quality fruit which are market demanded, and suitable for different growing areas in each country. These varieties should be vegetatively propagated using appropriate rootstocks. Availability of high quality planting material is of paramount importance in the whole process. Similarly, appropriate crop management practices such as training and pruning of the plants, fertilizer application, weeding, mulching, supplementary irrigation, pest and disease control etc. can play a very important role in increasing the production and productivity of these crops. It should be noted that plant protection is an important component of the crop management program. However, in order to develop an eco-friendly package, it will be necessary to reduce dependence on chemical control methods and to switch over to integrated pest management practices. Processing and marketing issues are equally important and need to be given due attention. There is also a need to strengthen advisory services to guide the agricultural communities in the proper adoption of new innovations.

Countries in the region have highland areas with similar climates. It must not be ignored that many agricultural communities have developed several useful technologies on their own. These useful technologies that have evolved over a period of many years should also be given due recognition. What is now needed is to assimilate this information, refine the technologies where and when necessary, and share such information among countries. This will help expansion of deciduous fruit culture to other areas where diversification and development are needed.

In conclusion, I wish to state that we need to plan out strategies to collect available information, develop new technologies and seriously consider the sharing of our knowledge through dialogue and discussion at meetings of this type, and establish regional mechanisms for inter-government cooperation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all on behalf of FAO for accepting our invitation to participate at this meeting. I also wish that your deliberations will be successful and I can assure you of FAO’s full support to further your country programs on deciduous fruit development.