Taiwanese mangoes win Japanese poll

Taiwanese mangoes are by far the favorite in Japan, according to an online survey on Yahoo's Japanese Web site.

The Web site conducted a survey last month asking participants to choose whether Japan, the Philippines, India, Thailand, Mexico or Taiwan produced the best mangoes, with Taiwan winning an overwhelming 73 percent of the vote.

A total of 36,264 respondents voted for Taiwan's mangoes based on their sweetness, fragrance, juiciness, flavor and price.

The Taiwan External Trade development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) said that high-end Japanese mangoes had tripled in price following strong celebrity endorsements, making Taiwan's mangoes a more attractive option.

After Taiwan exported more than 500 tonnes of mangoes to Japan in 2004, the country became Taiwan's biggest target for mango exports in 2005.

Taiwanese mangoes have also become more popular on the South Korean market. In 2004, the year Taiwan began exporting to South Korea, it shipped 90 tonnes. By last year the figure had grown to 150 tonnes and producers hope to match exports to Japan this year.

Taiwan entered the Australian market for the first time this year and has already exported more than 70 tonnes.

TAITRA said mango exports should grow 25 percent from last year to 3,000 tonnes.