Ecuador is reportedly planning to boost its mango exports to the US following the approval by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) of a phytosanitary protocol for fresh-cut (sliced) mango imports.
The opening up of the market is the result of a long risk assessment by APHIS in response to Ecuador’s application for entry in April 2008, according to a statement from the US Embassy in Ecuador, reported by local newspaper El Mercurio.
The embassy claims the move presents important opportunities for Ecuador, such as the shipment of mango varieties which are not resistant to hydrothermal treatment (used to eradicate fruit flies on whole fruit shipments), exports from production areas which do not monitor fruit fly presence and additional employment in current or new packing houses.
The US currently the largest market for Ecuadorean mangoes, the report said, absorbing more than 75 per cent of the country’s export crop.
