US opens doors to Vietnamese mango after 10 years of knocking

A farmer harvesting mango in An Giang, Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress

The US’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has given the green light for the import of mangoes from Vietnam. 

The license comes exactly 10 years after Vietnam applied for it.

To export fresh mangoes to the U.S., farmers and business will need to meet stringent standards.

APHIS will inspect each shipment thoroughly before granting phytosanitary certificates. 

Mango is Vietnam’s sixth fresh fruit licensed to be imported into the U.S. after dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychee, and star apple fruit. 

Some 96 percent of Vietnam's mango production is consumed domestically, with the rest exported currently to 40 countries either as fresh fruit or in processed form. 

The main market is China. The other important ones are Europe, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.