KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) _ U.S. agriculture officials have cleared the way for the export of Jamaican mangoes to the United States.
Derek Kellier is Jamaica’s acting agriculture minister. He said Monday that the ministry “will do everything in its power to ensure that mango farmers and exports” meet requirements for continental U.S. shipments to begin starting Oct. 20.
Jamaica last supplied the juicy, yellow-orange fruit to the U.S. market in the 1980s. It stopped when the U.S. banned a fumigant used to deter fruit flies.
As a condition of entry, Jamaican mangoes must now be inspected and found free of certain fruit flies, scale insects and diseases. U.S. shipments must also have a document known as a phytosanitary certificate.
Jamaica’s mango season begins in December. Local mango varieties include Julie, Bombay, and No. 11.
