Irwin mangoes grown in Taiwan’s Tainan County are selling well in Japan in much higher numbers than last year.
About 10,000 cases of the fruit are expected to be sold this year in cartons of three 1.1-1.5kg mangoes.
The fruit is expected to be sold out by late July, reported Taiwan News, building on last year’s sales of 2,000 cartons in two weeks.
Labelled ‘Mudsummer’s Ruby’, Tainan County officials have launched a promotion for the mangoes in the Tokyo area.
“We hope to present Taiwan’s Irwin mangoes as a ‘cheap and good’ alternative to the more pricey mangoes produced in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture,” said an executive at Japan’s Yamato Transport Co.
“We are planning to introduce Taiwan’s high-end fresh lychees into Japan next year as long as quarantine issues are overcome, and we believe they will also be a hit.”
Japan accounted for about 54 per cent of Taiwan’s fruit exports last year, hitting US$22.7m in trade. Mangoes in 2008 accounted for US$5.21m.
