STRATEGICALLY marketing mangoes to American consumers is critical to capitalising on the export deal struck by the federal government last year, says one of Australia’s largest exporters.
The managing director of Manbulloo Limited, Marie Piccone, said the company will be “testing the waters” with trial shipments to the United States in 2015, after the federal government gained market access late last year.
She believes US access presents a “great opportunity”, but that Australia’s mango industry will have to work very hard to earn a place in their market and understanding the American supply chain was critical.
“We’ve been in the export and domestic markets before, where if you don’t completely understand your supply chain and don’t get all factors right you actually cause damage to that market and damage to your brand,” Ms Piccone said.
“We’re just trying to do this strategically and carefully to do it right.”
Ms Piccone recently returned from a visit to the US, where she gained further exposure to the retail sector.
“The US is a very diverse market and we’ve got to make sure that we’re targeting the right parts of that market so they’re happy with what they’re receiving and so we can ensure we’re sending the right stuff,” she said.
Applications for mango growers to nominate orchards or blocks for export to the US, China and Korea, and for pack-houses and treatment facilities to nominate for export to US, China, Japan and Korea in 2015 are open until July 27.
Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is urging mango growers to capitalise on the US market.
“Market access for mangoes to the US was gained late in the 2014 season—I hope in 2015 we will see even more growers take the opportunity presented by access to the valuable US market," he said.
“Our mangoes are the best in the world, and I am confident that expanding our horticulture trade with the US will help reinforce Australia’s reputation as a reliable supplier of clean, green premium produce.”
Northern Territory Agriculture Minister Willem Westra Van Holthe said the US presented “the most promising of all the markets we’ve looked at”.
“It’s very stable, with clear and consistent rules and regulations and I encourage all Territory mango growers to take advantage of this opportunity,” Mr Westra Van Holthe said.
Manbulloo’s mango man
FARM caretaker Andrew Bagley clutches a handful of this season’s early fruit at Manbulloo Limited, 20 kilometres south of Katherine in the Northern Territory.
First flowers on the Manbulloo’s mango trees burst on May 20, thanks to an early winter chill, and as the second round of flowering nears, Mr Bagley inspects the crop.
“It’s very exciting this place at the moment,” he remarks.
He went from caring for two mango trees in his backyard in Charters Towers a couple of years ago to nurturing 36,620 plants at Manbulloo.
“To me, growing something is just giving it the simple things – the basics,” Mr Bagley said of the undertaking.
On the 350-hectare cultivation at Manbulloo, almost 30,000 of the plants are Kensington Pride with the remaining trees the R2E2 variety.
The trees receive 32 litres of bore water every second day, irrigated at a rate of nine litres per hour.
Every eighth day the trees are watered for a total of eight hours.
The company began exporting to Europe and Asia in 2006 and will send trial shipments to the US this year.
