According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the United States will start to import Thai pomelos next month. Rapeepat Chantarasriwong, director-general of the Department of Agriculture, said the US for the first time had approved the import of irradiated fresh pomelos from Thailand without any restriction on strains.
Pomelo is the eighth Thai fruit to win import approval from the US. It previously endorsed the import of mango, mangosteen, rambutan, longan, lychee, pineapple and dragon fruit.
At present, Thailand can export fresh pomelos to 30 countries, with China and Malaysia the primary markets. Last year, Thailand exported about 1 million tons of pomelos worth about 45 million baht. The first lot of Thai pomelos to the US will be delivered by air next month. The US requires Thai pomelos to meet Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GRIP) standards.
[ 10 baht = €0.27 ]
Source: bangkokpost.com