MANILA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will resume exporting fresh Hass avocados to South Korea later this month, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.
Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said the commercial shipment will start by the end of September after Seoul approved the market access for Philippine-grown Hass avocados.
Hass avocadoes have become popular globally as the main nutritional ingredient for salad and sandwiches. To familiarize the Koreans with Philippine-grown avocados, the Philippine government will support promotional activities to increase awareness of consumers and boost exports.
According to official data, the Philippines supplies 75 percent of fresh bananas, 100 percent of fresh pineapples and papayas, and is the sole exporter of fresh okra to South Korea. In 2022, South Korea was the fourth-largest destination of Philippine agri-food exports, with 574.27 million U.S. dollars in agri-fisheries export value. ■