A deal recently signed by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the US Congress will shortly see mangoes produced in the Philippines province of Cebu become available to consumers in the US.
Addressing the 17th Philippine Advertising Congress, Macapagal-Arroyo explained that the generalized system of preferences (GSP) agreement signed by the countries allows for over US$1bn worth of Philippine products to enter the US market tax free.
“We look forward to the instant inclusion of pineapples and canned tuna because these are products that have never had access to the US market before,” she said, adding: “I would like to let the people of Cebu know that we’re also getting market access for your mangoes.”
She added however that the sale of the mangoes relied on producers agreeing to meet US sanitary standards by using the same irradiation method as their counterparts on Guimaras island, the only area currently able to supply the US.
