The World Bank has approved a P3m grant for the construction of a mango processing centre in Leganes town, Iloilo, the Philippines, reports bworldonline.com.

Mario Nillos, Iloilo provincial planning and development officer, said the grant will go to the Iloilo Mango Growers Cooperative.

The planned processing centre in Leganes will be equipped with a hot water treatment facility, according to the online publication.

'The lot was provided by the municipal government of Leganes, while the provincial government helped develop the more or less 2,000m2 site,' Mr Nillos is quoted as saying.

The hot water treatment facility, which was developed by the Bureau of Plant Industry and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna, is designed to prolong the shelf life of mangoes and prevent fruit fly infestation, says the report.

Mr Nillos told bworldonline that the planned processing centre will also be used to process other fruits and vegetables, as well as mangoes.

Data from the Provincial Agriculture Office showed that Iloilo, which ranked seventh in mango production in the country, produces an average of 30,000 tonnes of mangoes every year, the report claims.

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