Philippine fresh mangoes enter Canadian market

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines sent its first commercial shipment of fresh Carabao mangoes to Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday, June 3.

The shipment contains one metric ton of fresh mangoes harvested from northern Luzon and Zambales, supplied by Philippine exporters Hi-Las Marketing Corporation and Castillo Import Export Ventures Inc. Another shipment is planned next week, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, the initial shipment of 400 cartons is timed to coincide with the Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Toronto on June 12.

“‘Yung mangga, just like any other high-value commercial crops — eto ‘yung gusto nating ma-promote na mas mapalaki ‘yung ating dollar earnings ng bansa,” DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa said in a press briefing on Wednesday. (Mango, just like any other high-value commercial crop — this is what we want to promote to increase our country’s dollar earnings.)

De Mesa said mango is the Philippines’ niche product and “other countries are willing to buy these goods at [a] premium price.”

According to DA Undersecretary Philip Young, their office closely collaborated with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Foreign Affairs to make the first shipment to Toronto happen. Government officials and private sector representatives held a send-off ceremony on Wednesday at the Philippine Airlines International Cargo Terminal in Pasay City.

Currently, the Philippines and Canada are still negotiating a potential free trade agreement. In 2024, the two countries announced exploratory talks reaffirming their commitment to “open, fair, and inclusive trade.”

Aside from mangoes, the Philippines’ major fruit exports are bananas and coconuts. The DA is set on expanding the country’s agriculture export portfolio, including high-value crops such as bananas, cacao, pomelo, rambutan, durian, and ube. – Rappler.com