PGMA Mango Send-off to the US
March 28, 2007 | AGRICULTURE GOV.PH NEWS

The send-off ceremony is in line with a US Federal Register ruling dated Dec.18 allowing Philippine mangoes grown anywhere in the country except Palawan to be initially exported to Hawaii and Guam in addition to those being raised in Guimaras, which are already allowed in the entire US mainland.

The ruling is part of the Mango Export Comprehensive Work Plan signed between the Philippines ' Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) presented to President Arroyo as part of the send-off ceremony.

Hi-Las Marketing Corp., located within the Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) Complex in Taguig City , is the lead company where all mangoes produced in the country (except Palawan ) are brought and prepped to ensure that the products meet stringent USDA quality standards.

Amores said that aside from undergoing manual size segregation to determine the proper size category of each mango, the mango also goes through a series of cleansing processes including hot water treatment and mango vapor heat treatment before the mango receives its phytosanitary certificate.

This certificate, which is issued by the DA, contains an additional declaration that the fruits have been treated for fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera.

Yap said that with this new ruling, the country is poised to capture a larger US market demand for mangoes.

Yap added that for CY 2007, the Philippines is projected to export to the US alone 250 to 300 MT of fresh Philippine mangoes, with geometric volume increases in the succeeding years.

Yap said the country would be able to meet the projected increase in demand for Philippine mangoes as more than 11,000 hectares of Philippine soil have already been earmarked as expansion sites for mango planting businesses.

The DA, the Bureau of Plant Industry and USDA, according to him, are currently undertaking a joint project to develop the specifications of acceptable irradiation protocols, another form of cleansing for fresh tropical fruits, so that "we can target the
exportation of irradiated fresh tropical fruits to the whole US within the next two years."

The Philippine mango industry contributes an average of P14.9 billion per year to the agricultural sector. The Philippine mango ranks third as the most important fruit in the country in terms of volume of production and area, next to banana and pineapple