Colombian mangoes now available in the U.S.

This comes after several years of mango negotiations between the government of Colombia and the U.S. ProColombia says expectations for the mango sector are high, given that the U.S. imported $552 million in 2021 and has registered a growth of fresh mango purchases of 29% from 2018 to 2021.

The work of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, ProColombia, and the Embassy of Colombia in the U.S., the move paves the way to more admissibility of fresh fruit from Colombia into the U.S. market, according to the release.

“The first export of fresh mango to the United States represents a great opportunity to consolidate the exportable supply of fresh fruit, generating formal employment and opportunities in rural areas in our country. We will continue working to promote national food production to achieve food sovereignty, and in this way achieve balance in trade matters,” German Umaña Mendoza, Colombia’s minister of trade, industry and tourism, said in a release.

The just-arrived mangoes were grown at the Varahonda Farm in the municipality of Palmira and were packed at Frutales Las Lajas in Zarzal, in the department of Valle del Cauca. They are being exported by Trópico Produce SAS and imported by the American company Seasons Farm Fresh Inc., the release said.

The Varahonda Farm in Valle del Cauca generates formal employment for mothers responsible for their households. It also contributes to the economic and social development of the rural communities surrounding their crops in the southwest of the country.

“These are the real opportunities that a government of change, led by President Gustavo Petro, is generating, especially for communities no longer invisible in rural Colombia,” the Ambassador of Colombia to the U.S. Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia said. “We will continue working so that communities and minorities venture into foreign trade and are ready to sell their agricultural products in this, our main market.”

With the addition of the U.S., Colombia now exports its mangoes to more than eight countries, including Canada, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, among others, the release said.

According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cecilia López Montaño, “there are approximately 35,000 hectares of mangoes in Colombia distributed in 22 departments, of which Cundinamarca is the largest producer, followed by Antioquia and Norte de Santander.” Colombia has production capacity for this product every month of the year, the release said.

Nick Bernal, CEO of the American Importer Seasons Farm Fresh Inc., thinks Colombian mangoes will start playing a competitive role within the market in the upcoming months.

“We know that mango consumption in the U.S. is very high, and Colombia — besides having many logistical advantages, such as several ports across the territory in the Pacific, the Caribbean and the Atlantic, as well as a strategic geographical location close to the U.S. — has one additional asset: It can produce mangoes all year long,” he said. “We began by importing in this shipment keitt mangos, but soon, we also expect to bring baby mangos,” Bernal added.

Among mango varieties, Colombia produces several of them, the most important: Hilacha (39%), tommy (20%), keitt (10%), yulima (10%) and baby mango (5%).

“This is great news for Colombian mango exporters, as this product has been growing significantly in its exports and is now entering a market that offers multiple business opportunities,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia, an agency for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism that is in charge of promoting nonmining exports internationally.

With the addition of mangos, Colombia now has the green light to export 108 fresh agricultural products to the U.S., according to the release. Among others are bell peppers, Hass avocados, goldenberries, blueberries, tangerines, oranges, pineapples, Tahiti lemons, aromatic herbs and paprika.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, together with ProColombia and other national institutions, says it will also continue to work on gaining access to other agricultural goods such as passion fruit, including gulupa, granadilla, yellow passion fruit and curuba, as well as beef and poultry.