Colombian sugar mangoes are now available in the U.S.

Thousands of pounds of  Colombian sugar mangoes are now being distributed throughout the U.S.

The mid-May entry of the mango variety, grown only in Colombia, is the first time the fruit has been marketed in the U.S., according to a news release. The USDA approved imports of mangoes from Colombia at the end of December last year, but the keitt variety mango was the first to enter; the sugar mango was not yet in season.

This shipment was possible thanks to the efforts of the producer Colfrutta, who met all the market requirements and the inter-institutional work on sanitary and commercial issues, Carmen Caballero said in the release. Caballero is president of ProColombia, the promotion agency part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

Colfrutta, the local producer of this mango variety, was founded in the north of Magdalena, a department in the Greater Colombian Caribbean, the release said. Since 2015, the company has been sending mangoes to Europe and Canada. Its export business has allowed the company to employ 60 families in rural regions once affected by armed conflict, according to the release.

"Exporting has given us the ability to directly and indirectly help families that normally would not have a job, all thanks to the Magdalena mango that we have made famous across the rest of the world,” Antonio Acosta, Colfrutta's exports director, said in the release. 

"We celebrate the successful export of sugar baby mango to the United States,” Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., said in the release. “This milestone has a positive and significant impact for producers in the Cordobita area in the department of Magdalena and represents a chance for new commercial opportunities in the United States for our producers in the rest of the country.”

The release said Colombia has made significant accomplishments in diversifying its agricultural offer as it has 108 fresh products with approval to enter the U.S., including bell peppers, hass avocados, goldenberries, blueberries, tangerines, oranges, pineapples, Tahiti lemons, and fresh herbs.

“One of our government objectives is for the regions to spearhead the internationalization of fresh produce,” Colombia Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Germán Umaña Mendoza said in the release. “Through achievements such as this one, we aim at that purpose. The producing regions must become familiar with their export aptitude and start venturing into the internationalization process.”