Vietnamese mango finds 40th export market – the US

After 10 years of persistent negotiations, Vietnam has conquered one of the most fastidious markets to export mango, the US.

Vietnam can now export mango to the US

From February 18 Vietnam is allowed to export Vietnamese mango to the US. Mango is the sixth fruit to gain export clearance to the US after lychee, longan, rambutan, star apple, and dragon fruit, and at the same time, the US became the 40th export market of Vietnamese mango.

The US has many strict requirements for mango exports, including garden conditions, packaging, irradiation treatment, and staying in plant quarantine at import border gates.

From December 2017, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the US Department of Agriculture has revised regulations to allow the importation of Vietnamese mango.

Accordingly, APHIS experts have determined that Vietnamese mango can be imported into the US according to a systematically co-ordinated management process from planting to packaging and transportation to ensure fruit quality and no residue of pesticides.

In addition, mango will be exported on commercial consignment with a complete certificate.

According to some fruit exporting enterprises, the US can only self-supply 3,000 tonnes per year, equal to 1 per cent of the amount the country has to import annually, which makes it a promising market for Vietnamese producers.

The US has to import nearly 400,000 tonnes of fresh mango mainly from Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Guatemala. Domestic mango is grown mainly in Florida and Hawaii, with a little from California and Texas.

Vietnam can export about 3,000 tonnes of fresh mango to the US, about as much as the US’ domestic supply.

In Vietnam, mango is grown from the south to the north, mostly in the Mekong Delta provinces like Tien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Can Poetry, and Ben Tre.

In addition, mango is also grown in Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Son La, Lang Son, and the Red River Delta region. The mango growing area of the whole country is about 87,000 hectare, with an output of over 969,000 tonnes per year. Vietnam ranks 13th in the world in terms of mango production, but its export volume is still modest and has not made it into the top 10 mango exporters.