Vietnamese green mango popular in Australia

Five tonnes of green mango grown in the northern province of Son La are shipped to Australia weekly by the Agricare Vietnam Co., Ltd following a successful trial export of one tonne to the country.

Son La is home to more than 4,000ha of mangoes, hundreds of which use the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP). Agricare Vietnam Co., Ltd mainly buys mangoes from southern provinces for export. This is the first time the company has purchased mangoes in the north for export.

The mangoes being promoted by Vietnamese businesses for sale in Australia are not of ripe fruit but rather of green mango that appears to be in demand down under.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Protection Department plans to continue cooperating with Son La Province to survey its cultivation and grant more area codes to grow green mango for exports to Australia. The Agricare Vietnam Co. will also provide support for farmers in production to ensure it meets the strict food safety requirements of this market.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, mango is the favorite fruit in Australia. The Australian Mango Industry Association is launching a new marketing campaign in order to increase mango consumption in daily meals. In addition to domestic supply sources, Australia imports a significant amount of mango from countries such as Haiti, India, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam. The supply from these countries is mostly in reverse of Australia’s harvest periods and their varieties are different than those familiar to Australians. This creates an opportunity for Vietnam to ship both raw and processed mango products to Australia.

In order to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese mango to be consumed in the Australian market, the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia regularly organizes promotion activities through fairs and exhibitions.

To help Vietnamese mango penetrate the Australian market, provinces that grow mango in accordance with VietGAP standards, such as Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, An Giang, Hau Giang and Khanh Hoa, need to plan the growing areas, eliminate varieties that should not be planted, develop intensive cultivation techniques and apply technologies for harvesting, preservation and processing in order to improve product quality and meet export requirements.