KANGAR: The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) is introducing steps to protect the quality of Perlis’ famed Harumanis mangoes, according to Fama standards beginning next harvesting season.
Perlis Agriculture and Agro-based committee chairman Bakri Ali said this is also being done to prevent an oversupply of the fruits in the market.
He said next year’s Harumanis season is expected to coincide with the fasting month (between April and June), and will continue to do so for the next four years until 2021.
“It is vital that we ensure our products at least comply with Fama standards while working towards achieving the Malaysian Standard, which would enable the product's quality to be acknowledged in other countries.
“Besides the physical features, the state government has also discussed other aspects including the grading and labeling of the state's iconic fruit with Fama during its visit to Perlis today,” he said.
Bakri was speaking at a press conference, together with Fama deputy director-general Mansor Omar.
Bakri strongly encouraged farmers as well as traders to obtain Fama stickers which certify that the mangoes were Harumanis from Perlis.
Besides setting apart the Harumanis from other mangoes, he believed the sticker could also boost the confidence of consumers especially those from outside Perlis when purchasing the fruits.
He believed it could prevent unscrupulous traders from passing off other mangoes as Harumanis. Such acts, he said, could tarnish the state’s reputation and erode consumers’ trust in the product.
