Vietnam’s mangoes licensed to enter U.S.
Vietnam’s mangoes licensed to enter U.S.
The United States has given the green light for imports of fresh mangoes from Vietnam after 10 years of negotiations, making the mango the sixth Vietnamese fruit to be shipped stateside after dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, litchi and star apple, the local media reported.
A source from the Plant Protection Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said today, February 18, that local firms got licenses for exporting mangoes to the United States last week, marking a milestone in the country’s journey to conquer the 40th mango export market.
Nguyen Dinh Tung, general director of Vina T&T Co., Ltd, said that his company will be a pioneer in shipping the fruit to the United States in the next 10 days, with an initial volume of 10 tons of Cat Chu and Tuong mangoes. The firm will increase the export volume if consumption is good, Tung said.
Tung added that the United States was a familiar market for Vina T&T, accounting for half the total volume of fresh fruit exported to the country by 15 Vietnamese firms.
After evaluating Vietnamese mangoes, experts from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) determined that they were safe for consumption and could be imported into the United States as they meet the requirements on origins, packaging, pest control and disease control.
Vietnamese mangoes are required to enter the U.S. market as commercial shipments and must have adequate certificates and documents.
To get the nod from the United States, Vietnamese mangoes must meet strict requirements, including being grown on American-standard farmland with a code issued, and being packaged in a unit certified by the United States.
Many local fruit exporters noted that the United States is the main consumer of mangoes, reportedly purchasing some 400,000 tons of mangoes each year, mainly from countries in Central and South America.
In December 2017, APHIS amended its regulations to allow the import of mangoes from Vietnam.
The latest statistics show that the country has some 87,000 hectares under mango cultivation, turning out more than 969,000 tons per year. Vietnam ranked 13th among the mango farming countries.
