MA. STELLA F. ARNALDO
02/28/2007 | 11:13 PM
Major importers of Philippine mangoes in the United States are looking forward to less costly mangoes from Manila with the decision by the US government in December to allow other provinces in the Philippines to export the produce.
This developed as the US Embassy in Manila confirmed the arrival of an inspector from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assess the mangoes to be shipped to the US mainland and the territories of Guam, Hawaii and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas (CNMI).
The first mango exports from areas outside Guimaras Island are expected to commence in March 2007 “and could last all-year round," according to Roberto Amores, president of the Philippine Mango Exporters Foundation.
Aside from Guimaras other mango-producing areas in the Philippines are Zambales, Batangas, Bataan and Pampanga, all in the Luzon region.
There are other areas in the Visayas such as Cebu, and Davao in Mindanao, which also produce fresh mangoes. Only Palawan is still prohibited by the USDA from exporting its mangoes because “the mango pulp weevil, a pest not known to exist in the United States, is prevalent (there). There are currently no approved treatments for this agricultural pest," the US Embassy said in an emailed response to this reporter’s queries.
(More at GMANews.TV)
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