First Shipment of Ecuadorian Mangos to Enter Market

The first batch of Ecuadorian mangos to be imported to China was scheduled to arrive in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on Sunday, October 16. This first shipment means Ecuadorian mangos have officially entered the Chinese market after 13 years of negotiation and final approval of phytosanitary export protocols by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) early this year.

Ecuadorian mangos usually grow near the coast. The temperature and humidity produces a high quality fruit, with good flavor and an attractive color. Guayas Province has about 7700 hectares of mango under cultivation, with about 6500 hectares designated for export. Varieties include Tommy Atkins, Haden and Kent—all of which were included in the October 16 shipment to Shanghai. Production starts around the middle of October and lasts until the end of January or early February. The peak production period occurs in November and December, when the production of other countries decreases. Therefore, there is a gap in the market for Ecuadorian mangoes, representing an opportunity for Ecuador in the Chinese market.

In order to serve the needs of Chinese market, Dany Peña and Rene Molina founded Hen Luo (Shanghai) International Trade Co. and will provide personalized services for customers. They are urging their customers to handle the mangos carefully to provide the best quality product to end consumers: first, they suggest not to repack the fruit more than 2 times, which could damage the skin. Second, the mangos should not spend too much time in cold rooms, which will diminish the fragrant smell of the fruit.

Exporters prefer to send Ecuadorian mangos to China by air, because that means that it will take only five days from the time the fruit is harvested to when it arrives in China.

Ecuadorian mangos exported to China are treated with hot water in order to satisfy AQSIQ requirements for pest control.

The mangos exported to China in this shipment are expected to need about two to 30 days of ripening before being ready to eat.

Image: El Telgegrafo