Dole Philippines may now ship Cavendish to the United States after the maiden export of the commodity was frustrated by Typhoon Pablo last December, the Bureau of Plant Industry said Monday, noting that the shipment was cleared by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
An initial shipment of 3,000 metric tons will be made in the first quarter, said Bureau director Clarito Barron.
The Philippine official said his American counterpart, Kelan Evans of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) conveyed the official import ruling that covers the the shipment to the US mainland.
Barron and Evans met on Monday, during which the US official also said that the USDA- APHIS certified mango plantations in Davao Oriental and Samal Island as pest-free. "This means that we may also export mangoes from these areas other than Guimaras," Barron noted.
No volume has yet been specified for mango shipments to the US. "We are still working on the protocols for that," said Barron.
Typhoon Pablo destroyed banana plantation in Davao and Campostela Valley in early December, which compelled the Philippines to postpone the maiden shipment of Cavendish to the US to cover existing export contracts with Japan and South Korea. (http://bit.ly/VKjFl9)
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