A representative from the Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) is confident selling prices in the U.S. are sustainable in the long-term and says the market will help the sector double export volumes in the coming years. 

The Australian mango season kicked off in late October - a few weeks later than last year due to a delayed winter and flowering period - and exporters are beginning their third campaign into the U.S market.

AMIA marketing manager Treena Welch told www.freshfruitportal.com everything had so far been going well and expected volumes to remain small this season.

"Our strategy as an industry is to go inch by inch and to go slowly," she said.

"We’re all about ensuring that we deliver consistent quality and a great eating experience for the American consumer.

"To get that fruit on the shelf looking fresh, with a beautiful bloom and lovely tight skin, means that we need to put a lot of focus on our supply chain, and that’s where we’re really working."

Last year the organization's CEO Robert Gray told Abc.net.au that Australian mangoes were selling 'a lot more expensive' than the South American competition at around AUD4-5 a piece. However, Welch said the higher price point was not an issue, nor were the higher export volumes expected from Peru this year.

"America is a very big market. We don’t see ourselves as competing with the mangoes that are in the market at the moment, I understand that it’s quite a price-driven commodity market," she said.

"We’re about selling an experience. The Australian mango has a completely different taste to anything that’s on the American shelves for the majority of the year, and so we’re really looking to begin our journey in America at that high-end where people are valuing an exceptional eating experience.

"Our strategy is slowly slowly, ensuring that every step we make is a step towards delivering a consistent great quality experience for the American market, for both the retailers and our consumers."

Australia produces around 60,000 metric tons (MT) of mangoes for the fresh market each year and a further 8,000MT for processing, according to figures from the association.

The last two seasons have each seen around 7,000MT of mangoes exported - with the majority going to Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and the Middle East - but Welch said the aspiration over the next three years was to double the proportion of mangoes exported.

"Certainly the U.S will play a big part in that," she said.

"We have our traditional export markets that we’re in at the moment...but America’s going to play a big part in our export strategy and we’re extraordinarily excited about the opportunities it provides," she said.

Welch added export volumes were also set to increase this year to Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

"We're about building strong foundations in every market we go to, and delivering a delicious eating experience to drive that repeat purchase. Everybody who participated in programs last year has been very eager to re-engage this year," she said.

Looking at the domestic market, Welch said the later start to the season than normal meant it was 'hungry for mangoes' at the moment and she emphasized the 'revered' position the fruit held among many Australian consumers.

She also highlighted how the industry has adopted NIR (near-infrared) technology that was used to measure dry matter levels in the fruit prior to picking to ensure consistently high quality.

"As an industry we set minimum standards across all of our varieties - standards at which each variety should be picked," she said.

"The industry has adopted those, and the retailers in Australia and across the world are implementing those standards."

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