The Ecuadorian mango seeks to ‘navigate’ to more distant markets such as China

Ecuadornews:

The first week of October is expected to export 5,700 boxes of mango per boat to China, a country where the fruit first arrived in 2016 by air, with 20,000 boxes, after thirteen years of negotiations.

Yamil Farah, president of the Mango Ecuador Foundation, said the industry is looking to expand its offer 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 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 is to be reduced, since air shipments cause the fruit to cost up to $ 20 per box. This, due to the limitations of exporting by sea.

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 fruit increases its life by applying new techniques.

These techniques are some of the novelties of the Seventh International Mango Congress, which took place from last Thursday until today, in Guayaquil, where about 400 attendees gather, more than 50% are foreigners. (I)

Source: https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2018/09/01/nota/6931931/mango-busca-navegar-mercados-mas-lejanos