Mexico has exported 12.5 tons of manila mango from Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero, to the US for the first time ever.
This is the largest producing area in Mexico because it has a low prevalence of fruit flies, said Juan Carlos Cruz, the packing manager of Integradora Costa Grande.
Mexican producers managed to export this fruit, complying with the Americans phytosanitary requirements, at a time when Mexico and the US are getting ready to renegotiate the Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the feasibility of trade is being disputed.
The E-Food Import company, via the Texas A&M University, is in charge of the health process in the US.
Integradora Costa Grande supplies and delivers the fruit to the frontier.
"Under this agreement, E-Food Import and Texas A&M assume the responsibility for the product's health. Of course, the product goes through customs checks, where they check that all the invoices and documents are in order, weigh the product, and check the fruits' sizes. However, they don't open it at the border, all the tests are performed at Texas A&M," Cruz said.
The processes performed increase the product's shelf life from 10 days to up to 30 days, he said.
The University delivers the mango, branded, to the Nueva Era products company, which is responsible for marketing it in Texas.
The first shipment was placed at Walmart and H-E-B. California and Chicago are also demanding it, said Gerardo Lopez, representative of Nueva Era products in Mexico.
Cruz said that they could make a second shipment of 13 tons by the end of this week.
Source: mundohispanico.com