Vietnam officially begins mango exports to US

A ceremony was jointly held in Hanoi on February 18 by the Plant Protection Department (PPD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Office of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Vietnam, to announce the start of the fruit exports.

Mango has become the sixth Vietnamese fruit allowed to enter the US market, following dragon fruit, rambutan, lychee, longan, and star apple. To clear way to sell its mangoes in the world’s biggest economy, the PPD applied for a licence in 2009.

Vietnam has exported mangoes to 40 countries over the world. Its main importers are China, European countries, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said that the export of Vietnamese mangoes to the US market has affirmed the brand, quality, and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in general and fruits in particular.

According to Deputy Minister Doanh, the US market has a very high demand for quality, food safety, and hygiene. With the diligence and efforts of Vietnamese famers alongside technical guidance and support from plant protection agencies and businesses, Vietnamese mangoes have met all the requirements of the US market.

He stressed the need for localities, enterprises, and farmers to strictly follow the cultivation process to create fruits that not only maintain productivity, but also ensure that regulations on quality and food safety are met.

To export fresh mangoes to the US, Vietnamese farmers, localities, and businesses have to meet strict requirements. The planting, processing, and packaging facilities must be granted codes for management and traceability by APHIS.

All pre-export shipments must be treated with irradiation, quarantined, and granted phytosanitary certificates by APHIS. At the arrival port, the APHIS will check each shipment.

Conrad Estrada, Regional Director of APHIS in Vietnam, said APHIS has worked with PPD to ensure that Vietnam’s high quality fruits are not contaminated with pests.

He also highly appreciated the quality and competitiveness of Vietnamese mangoes in the US.

Mango is one of Vietnam’s fruits of strength with a total of nearly 90,000ha of farms nationwide, produce nearly 800,000 tonnes per year. In particular, Vietnam has nearly 50 delicious mango varieties.