The South Korean market is unlikely to open for Peruvian mangoes for what remains of the current season, according to Juan Carlos Rivera Ortega of Peruvian mango producer and exporter association Apem.
Speaking ahead of a planned visit to Peru by South Korea’s animal and plant health inspection and quarantine agency, QIA, in the first week of February, Rivera said he was optimistic that exports would receive the green light in time for the 2015/16 season.
“We anticipate exports to this market reaching similar levels to the volume we ship to Japan, that is to say 600-1,000 tonnes per season,” he told Agraria.pe.
A delegation from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Aphis) is also due to visit Peru next month, which could clear the way for US imports of larger sized mangoes (650-900g), Rivera noted, adding that again, this was unlikely to happen until next season.
Mangoes are Peru’s fourth biggest fruit and vegetable export after avocados, table grapes and asparagus. The leading export destination is the Netherlands, with shipments for 2013 totalling US$44.6m, followed by the US (US$39.2m). Around 85 per cent of production is concentrated in Piura in the north west of the country.
