Australian mangoes have been granted US market access in a landmark move that has come after seven to eight years of lobbying from the industry.
Australian mangoes will be accepted under an irradiation protocol that offers the option of treatment in Australian or on arrival in the US.
“We’re unsure what we’ll do at this stage,” said Trevor Dunmall, industry development manager for the Australian Mangoes Industry. “It might be better to do it here but it will depend on a variety of factors such as whether we have to pay for inspectors in the US, whether there multiple ports of entry. So we’ll wait and see.”
The US already receives mango exports from Latin America which are significant less expensive than their Australian counterparts both in terms of production and shipping.
Consequently, Dunmall stated that Australia will be targeting an entirely different segment of the US market.
“We’ll be aiming our product at high-end consumers,” he said. “We know our product cannot compete with Latin America on price but we believe we have a superior product which is worth paying a premium for.”
Australia has the advantage of offering several unique mango varieties including Kensington Pride, R2E2, Honey Gold and Calypso, which are well-known for their excellent flavour and aroma as well as being less stringy then other varieties.
Transporting mangoes from Australia to the US is a challenge given the vast distance involved, so Dunmill expects that airfreight is the only viable option at this stage.
“Whatever the challenges, it’s great news for the industry,” he concluded.
