US envoy graces Manggahan Festival
United States Ambassador to the Philippines Christie Kenney graced the 14th Year Manggahan Festival in Guimaras that kicked off last May 16 and would end today.
The US envoy, who has been warmly received by Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava and the other provincial officials of the island province has been impressed with the beautiful tourism scenery of the province as well as the products being displayed for the Manggahan Festival.
She also had a briefing at the National Mango Research Center in Guimaras, according to Gov. Nava, and talked a lot about the mango industry of the province for which she vowed to help improve its export potential in the US mainland.
Gov. Nava said that until now it is only the Guimaras mango product being permitted to be marketed in the US mainland and Australia, and thus, somehow, enjoying the so-called monopoly.
The Guimaras mango, known as the sweetest mango in the world, started to enter the US mainland in 2002. Except in year 2004, the export product has been registered the biggest at 622 metric tons.
The expensive inspector’s and the transportation costs somehow discouraged the mango producers from exporting the product to the US and which rendered the product not so competitive with Mexican mangoes that cost ten times cheaper than Guimaras mangoes.
Because of these problems, Ambassador Kenney said she would look into and try to bring down the costs.
Guimaras Provincial Agriculture Officer Ronnie Morante, expressing hope that things would work well now, said that next year they are projecting to export 600-800 metric tons of fresh mango fruits to the US.
He contended that aside from the US though, the Guimaras mangoes are now being exported to Japan and Korea. Export to China is also being worked out.
The exportation of Guimaras mangoes to Asian countries has also been found profitable for the mango growers of the island province.
(PNA)