Philippines mangoes now exported to Canada

MANILA, Philippines — The country has started exporting mangoes to Canada as part of the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s push to expand market access for Philippine farm products.

In a press briefing, DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said an initial shipment of about one metric ton of Philippine mangoes was shipped off to Toronto, Canada on June 3.

The fruits were sourced from Northern Luzon and Zambales.

De Mesa added that another shipment is bound for Canada by next week.

Philippine exporters Hi-Las Marketing Corp. and Castillo Import Export Ventures Inc. supplied the fresh mangoes, while Ontario-based TSI Tropicals Inc. acted as importer.

The Philippines is targeting to open more markets for locally grown mangoes, including China, the European Union, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Philippine Mango Industry Roadmap.

De Mesa added that the first commercial shipment to Canada marks the agency’s broader push to promote Philippine produce to other overseas markets.

“With mango and any other high-value crops, we want to promote them to increase the country’s dollar earnings. The Philippines has great potential to export its tropical fruits,” he said.

He added that the agency is also pushing to open exports of tropical fruits like pomelo to Japan, following President Marcos’ state visit to that country last month.

The DA earlier said that it is targeting to export Philippine pomelos to the Japanese market before the end of the year, after discussions between Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Japanese officials.

De Mesa noted that the DA would improve trade promotions alongside increasing productivity to meet potential market demand for Philippine products.

“The issue was that we have continued to promote our products, but when we are asked about volume, we can’t deliver,” he noted.

“So now the secretary’s focus is that while we are doing promotions, we also need to boost our productivity and lower the cost of production, so that we can be competitive,” De Mesa said.