11 September 2023 - Australians will soon be tasting the Guinness Book of World Records “sweetest mangoes in the world” as the first batch of fresh Philippine mango shipment arrives in Sydney and Perth on Thursday, 07 September 2023.

Cultivated all year round in the Philippines, mangoes are the country’s top tropical fruit. The initial shipment of the most popular mango variety, Carabao, were harvested from the local farms in Malalag, Digos, Bansalan and Magsaysay municipalities in Davao del Sur.

From the 94.00 thousand metric tons output in the same quarter of 2022, the Philippine mango production during the first quarter of 2023 projected an increase of 2.0 percent at 95.86 thousand metric tons as published by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Meanwhile, data from the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s High Value Crops Development Program showed that the country’s export of fresh mango increased from 8,804 MT in 2018 to 11,498 MT in 2022, with Hong Kong being the top market, next is Korea and Japan respectively.

“The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) maximizes the country’s untapped export potential through the launch of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) and in conjunction with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement’s (RCEP) entry in to force last June. The PEDP aims to address challenges that the Philippines face in different sectors of the economy particularly the exports sector by capitalizing on the country’s export growth opportunities,” Philippine Trade Secretary Fred Pascual stated.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia said, “The entry of fresh Philippine mangoes into Australia marks a significant milestone in our bilateral trade. With the elevation of relations to a Strategic Partnership, the Philippines looks forward to building further trade with Australia. The time has come for our Aussie friends to enjoy our much beloved fruit in the Philippines!”

“I am very pleased that Australians will now be able to enjoy high-quality mangoes from the Philippines! This is an important, and indeed delicious outcome strengthening our two-way trade and agricultural engagement,” said Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. HK Yu.

Arrangements are made possible by FastboxPH, a Sydney-based e-Commerce and logistics company and 3SIXTY5 Freight and Customs Pty Ltd with the support of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Sydney and the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Plant Quarantine Services Division of the Department of Agriculture.

The Australia Philippines Business Council (APBC), the premier business organisation dedicated to promoting trade and investment between Australia and the Philippines, welcomed this positive trade development between the two countries. APBC further affirmed that mango export not only boosts agri-trade between Western Australia and Mindanao but also contributes to the sustainability of the Manila-Perth-Manila flight recently launched by Philippine Airlines (PAL). PAL is the only carrier that can offer seamless transfer from Davao or General Santos City to Manila and immediately connect to Perth under one warehouse.

The Philippines announced in June that it will start to send an initial shipment of fresh carabao mangoes to Australia, the first after almost 10 years since a trial shipment was made in 2013.

For more information, visit https://www.carabaomango.au/.