Philippines faces two million kilogram mango surplus

Image source, AFP

Image caption, The government has launched a marketing campaign to try and promote the fruit

The Philippines has a surplus of more than two million kilos of mangoes following a bumper harvest.

The country's agriculture secretary said the extra mangoes were the result of a "dry spell caused El Ni帽o".

The El Ni帽o phenomenon occurs naturally and has a major influence on weather patterns around the world.

The government has launched a marketing campaign in a bid to sell one million kilos of the fruit in June before they begin to rot.

Emmanuel Pi帽ol told the Manila Times that there was "currently in Luzon". He said the last time stocks were this high was "after the El Ni帽o of 2015 and 2016".

In some areas mangoes are selling for as little as 20 pesos (拢0.30).

Mr Pi帽ol also accused a dried mango exporter based in Cebu of contributing to the high stocks after it stopped purchasing local mangoes and chose to use fruit from overseas.

The Department of Agriculture is set to hold a workshop for mango growers in Luzon to help .

Diamond Star Agro Products, a Japanese fruits importer, has said it is looking to buy 100,000kg of the fruit this season.