TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The resumption of mango exports to the United States will still have to wait one or two years, Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said Tuesday (May 28).

Taiwan had initially obtained permission to ship the fruit to the U.S. in 1992, but few businesses were interested due to the distance between the two countries, Chen told CNA.

The journey by ship exceeded the mango’s ripening period, while moving them by plane was too expensive. Exports stopped after one shipment of 5 metric tons in 1993. 

Exporters recently planning to fly expensive mango gift boxes to the U.S. had been told a new food safety risk assessment had to be conducted first, Chen said.

As Taiwan has been exporting mangoes to Japan and South Korea for years, the U.S. should not pose too much of a problem, with exports likely to start within one or two years, Chen said. Japan is also reportedly planning to import dragonfruit from Taiwan within the next two months.