After several years of negotiations, China and Ecuador signed a protocol this year allowing the entry of Ecuadorian mangoes to the Asian giant. Ecuador's first shipment of mangoes to China arrived last week. The shipment of 4 pallets with 96, six-kilo boxes of mangoes of the Tommy variety, was sent via airfreight by the PICALER exporting company with fruit from the PIVANO SA production company. The process had the support of the Ecuadorian Mango Foundation.
"The fruit arrived in Shanghai last Saturday. On Monday there were some tastings, and the diners who tried the mango were very impressed by the quality, taste, and color of the Ecuadorian Tommy mango. Satisfaction was such that importers are already interested in trying other varieties. As a result, Ecuadorian producers are very interested in the possibilities that this market can offer," said Sergio Cedeño, president of the Ecuadorian Mango Foundation.
Initially the fruit will only be exported by air. However, given the great potential of this market, exporters plan to try out maritime shipments in the coming months. "Chinese consumers are used to including the mango from their neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand in their diet. We could say it's part of their culture. If we can offer them a ready-to-eat mango that has a sweeter taste than the one they are used to, they will be willing to pay the price," said Cedeno.
"The next step is to find customers for our fruit. We, as an association, are working with ProEcuador in China to look for potential importers. The truth is that we believe that our mango will be very well received, and that we will begin to position ourselves in this market in a few months," the representative said.
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Sergio Cedeño