Yamil Farah, president of the Mango Ecuador Foundation, said the industry is looking to expand its reach in the Asian country, where the market is still small and exports are minimal.
Ecuador exported 13.1 million boxes to the world in 2017 and plans to increase this to 14 million this year with an average annual growth of 14%. Its main market is the US, where it places around 90% of its exports.
In order to grow China, the cost has to be reduced, since air shipments cause the fruit to cost up to $20 per box.
Farah explained that the process of ripening the fruit is five weeks (35 days), the same time it takes a trip by sea to China. By plane it takes only three days.
“The mango shelf life is about five weeks from the cut, if handled properly,” Farah said, noting that the shipment that will be released in October will be a test of how much the shelf life of the fruit increases through the application of new techniques.
Source: ecuadortimes.net
