Taipei, June 16 (CNA) Taiwan's mango exports are expected to hit a new high in 2017 with output in Tainan, the largest mango growing area in the country, forecast to post a year-on-year increase of up to 20 percent in mango output, the Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) of the Council of Agriculture said on Friday.
According to the AFA, Taiwan's mango exports hit a record high of NT$810 million (US$26.64 million) after selling 10,812 metric tons overseas in 2015. Following an exceptional harvest in Tainan, exports for 2017 are expected to top 2015.
Meanwhile, Tainan announced the 2017 Tainan International Mango Festival will start on June 24.
The AFA said that this year's mango harvest in Tainan was up 20 percent from a year earlier, offsetting an expected 30 percent decline in output in Pingtung, the second largest mango growing area in Taiwan.
Mango production in Tainan, where there are 7,059 hectares of mango farms accounting for 45 percent of Taiwan's total planting area, is expected to reach 105,000 metric tons in 2017, which will make up more than two-thirds of national mango output of 150,000 metric tons.
In addition, the agency said government efforts to help local mango farmers secure orders from overseas markets also paid off, paving the way for higher exports this year.
The AFA noted that local mango growers signed contracts in April with Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia worth US$10.22 million, an increase of US$520,000 from the same period a year earlier.
During the upcoming mango festival, which will run until July 22, Tainan City Government plans to establish a market at Tsou Ma Lai Farm that will display and sell different types of mangoes, while the organizer will also hold a cooking event to showcase mango related cuisine and teach visitors how to make mango cakes.
In addition, a group of ice shops in downtown Tainan and the districts of Danei, Yujing and Zuojhen will start selling deserts made using mango so consumers can enjoy fresh mango ice products during the hot summer days.
Several travel agencies in Taiwan have introduced tour packages for visitors keen to attend the mango festival.
