Eduardo Pontaoe
12 Dec 2007

 

 

Mr. John Bolinas:

Export of Pangasinan mangoes to the US of A? Easier said than done, Mr. Bolinas.

Your excitement of seeing dried vacuum-packed mangoes in store shelves in this part of the world in its commercial value is mighty deceiving.

I don’t know about you in Canada, but here down south, it hasn’t gained ground yet, the reason is the quality of the fruit in its state of aging. The texture of the flesh is rubbery and the flavor is not appetizing to the taste (anacseng).

Case in point: it was tried at Costco and it didn’t move at all. At $9.00 a bag, it could force you to call an ambulance. The approval of the USDA was granted when the government agreed to irradiation technology, a phytosanitary measure for treating flies and pests on mangoes and other tropical fruits coming to America’s ports.

The problem for Pangasinan mango exports is refrigeration and the distance to market, requiring n a specialized container capable of a controlled atmosphere. This is a must for low oxygen concentration and minimal ethylene concentration that can produce a fruit product whose pulp is riper while in transit.

And comes with it the profit margin. Once the mangoes are unloaded, there’s only a window of a week or two before it starts rotting. The ethylene gas process which naturally evolves among fruits, and with moisture, that will hasten decay. Remember that mango like banana is one of the fruits that cannot be frozen like any ordinary vegetable.

And the biggest challenge that an exporter from Pangasinan could face, is competition. Can this exporter butt head with the growers of Florida, Texas, Mexico, Latin America, Ecuador, Chile and the godzilla of them all Brazil? All these places started planting 20 years ago and these trees are now bearing fruits.

Have you ever seen mangoes coming from Thailand, Indonesia and India, the largest grower in Asia exports to America? With a minimal number of mango fruit-bearing trees in Pangasinan, it wouldn’t make a dent in this highly volatile market.

I am familiar with this business, what’s produced in Pangasinan is not enough for China and Japan.

This is how it works, Mr. Bolinas. Not all harvested fruit is for export. It’s sorted into three categories. The #1 size is for export, the remaining is for local consumption. Maybe, out of ten bushels, you’re lucky if you can get four.

Fruits for export must also be clean . . . untainted . . . no sap or any discoloration on its rind. And pretty damn fortunate, too, if the rampaging typhoons will not pay you a visit while the trees are in bloom or the young fruits are the size of a spoon.

However, there’s a fruit that resembles the Pangasinan mango called Manila mango grown in Mexico. It’s smaller in size, but less pulp and tastes like one.