Vietnam’s fresh mango was yesterday sold in several stores and supermarkets in Perth City in the state of Western Australia after Agricare Vietnam Co., Ltd shipped one tonne of Cao Lanh mangos to the country.
Mango cultivation also had to meet Australia’s strict requirements relating to production stages, packing, phyto-quarantine and food safety, irradiation and transport.
Vietnamese Consul General to Perth Phung The Long said Vietnam’s fresh mango attracted interest and received positive response from consumers in the state, especially Vietnamese expats. Vietnam began exporting fresh lychee to Australia in June last year, marking the first time the fruit gained entry into this market.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said the shipment of the second fresh fruit to Australia is hoped to create opportunities for the country’s other fruits to make inroads into the market.
Vietnam applied for a license to export mango to Australia in 2009, with approval given after meeting requirements on origin, packaging, pest control, and disease. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on supporting consumption of Vietnamese agricultural products, including fresh fruits was signed between the trade office and the Vietnam Business Association in Australia.
Vietnam will export close to 18 tonnes of mangoes to Australia on a daily basis in the coming time as part of the agreements reached between the Suoi Lon Mango Cooperative in the southern province of Dong Nai and Australian partners.
Australia will transfer preservation technology to the cooperative on a trial basis. This aims to ensure the fruits are free from toxic substances. Australia is buying mangoes from Thailand and Mexico. However, it will purchase more mangoes from the Vietnamese cooperative to meet the local increasing demand.
The Suoi Lon Mango Cooperative has 150 hectares of mangoes, including nearly 25 hectares meeting the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) and Global Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalGAP) standards. Each season could harvest over 4,500 tonnes of fruits.
In the coming time, the growing area will be expanded to 270 hectares, he said, adding that the cooperative has limited the use of plant protection products while increasing the use of micro-organic fertiliser to create clean and safe products.
Prices of export mangoes will be higher than that of domestic market. The shipment will be carried out via air and sea routes. Apart from Australia , the cooperative is exporting around 2,000 tonnes of mangoes to Japan.
