IRRADIATION TECHNOLOGY TO CUT COST OF PHILIPPINE MANGO SHIPMENTS TO U.S. Asia Pulse, February 5, 2003 Wednesday A United States-based Philippine official has revealed the introduction of a technology that would help cut down the shipping cost of Philippine mango exports to that country. Eventually, such technology would also allow mangoes from other areas of the country to enter the US market. Presently, only mangoes from Guimaras island have been allowed in the US. Victoriano Leviste, agriculture attache at the Philippine embassy in Washington D.C., said the use of irradiation technology gives longer shelf life to the fruit, allowing it to be shipped even by boat to the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture has already approved the use of irradiation technology that would practically increase the shelf life of the fruit, he said. Mango exports take the costly airfreight to the US since shipment through cargo vessels usually take more than a month depending on the port of call. The application of the irradiation technology would also later pave the way for the shipment of mangoes from other parts of the country aside from Guimaras. Leviste said the Philippine government is now working out for a joint venture agreement with Surebeam Corp., a US-based provider of electronic irradiation systems and services for the food industry. Details of the agreement are not immediately available but Leviste said Surebeam was initially tasked to establish an irradiation facility worth about $10 million in one of the exit ports in the country. "We are really looking forward for this development since this would eventually pave the way for the entry of our other tropical fruits to the US," he said. With this development, Mr. Leviste said it is important for the country to focus on ensuring sustained supply of the fruit. "The problem has always been concentrated on sustainability of supply. If we want to get a substantial share of the US market for our mangoes and possibly other tropical fruits then we must ensure a steady supply," he added. Although the Philippines generates as much as $35 million a year from the export of world-class mangoes, the country still has a lot of catching up to do with Mexico, the largest exporter of the fruit. Mexico's mango exports of over 120 million metric tons a year dwarfs the Philippines', annual shipment. The Philippines, however, is a distant second to Mexico, which accounts for 41 percent of the US mango imports. Leviste, on the other hand, hinted that prospects of Philippine mangoes getting a significant share in the lucrative US market is very high via the Filipino communities. "The key is to create a niche market through our Filipino residents and possibly other Asians," he told visiting reporters in Washington D.C. recently. Leviste said that while Mexican mangoes still dominate the US market, a Philippine mango variety known in international trade as Philippine Super Mango (carabao), has been gaining popularity in the US market as a sweet and more luscious fruit. The Philippine mangoes, coming from Guimaras Province in the Visayas, was only able to enter the US market in May, last year, after 15 years of negotiations with the US Department of Agriculture. Only Guimaras mangoes are so far accepted in the US. Mangoes from other areas of the country allegedly have fruit flies. The US has been strictly protecting its fruit industry from at least six plant pests and diseases on mangoes, principally the fruit fly and seed weevil. Guimaras has been considered a pest-free zone and an ideal source of mango exports to the US. Leviste said several test shipments of at least one to two tons each were launched this year but they were considered insignificant due to the high cost of airfreight to the US.