U.S. opens door for Jamaican mango shipments
Jamaican mango exporters will be able to send their fruit to the U.S. as of Oct. 20, following a recent decision by the country's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The final rule posted on the Federal Register requires the fruit to be produced under a systems approach with a combination of measures to mitigate five pests - Anastrepha obliqua, Anastrepha suspensa, Coccus moestus, Phomopsis mangiferae, and Xanthomonas campestris pv. Mangiferaeindicae.
The authority published a proposal for the rule in April, and received one complaint suggesting additional safeguards be considered to mitigate the risk of fruit flies, with stricter measures to detect eggs and larvae inside the fruit.
However, APHIS argued mitigation options such as hot water dip treatment or irradiation had proven effective against all fruit fly stages including eggs and larvae.
Jamaica will be unlikely to stir up the market however, with expectations it will send 261 metric tons (MT) to the United States which represents less than 0.08% of the country's mango imports.
Photo: www.shutterstock.com
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