The Philippines is set to start shipping carabao mangoes to Australia this month, the Philippine Embassy in Canberra said in an update.
The Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Sydney said e-commerce and logistics provider Fastboxph and 1Export, a one-stop platform for cross border trade and fulfillment services, were making the necessary arrangements for the initial shipment.
Philippine Trade Representative to Australia Alma Argayoso said Australia has been supportive of Philippine efforts to improve bilateral agricultural trade particularly the export of mangoes.
“In 2018, the Australian Embassy in the Philippines reported that the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research provided Au$1.1-million grant funding to a four-year project which passed on farming technology that improved mango quality and size for Davao farmers,” she said.
Argayoso said there has been interest in mango exports to Australia in recent years, but plans were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our mission is to work with government authorities and industry partners to bring to Australia the highest quality Filipino products and help lift trade between our two countries,” she said.
PTIC Sydney is coordinating with the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry-National Plant Quarantine Services Division for the delivery of initial and subsequent shipments.
Since 2016, protocols have been in place for the export of mangoes to Australia such as the specific commodity understanding. The SCU is an arrangement document for the importation of fresh mango fruit from the Philippines to Australia under Australia’s Biosecurity Act 2015.
Australia and the Philippines signed an amended version of the SCU in 2016, expanding the export market for Philippine mangoes. The agreement created export opportunities for Filipino mango farmers in Guimaras, Samal Island and Davao del Sur, according to the BPI-NPQSD.
“It is now time for Aussies to enjoy our much beloved fruit in the Philippines,” said Philippine Ambassador to Australia Hellen B. De La Vega, noting that Australians enjoyed dried mangoes.
De La Vega said the Philippines produces mangoes all year around, while Australia produces its own mangoes from September to April.