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Philippine Hass avocadoes will be exported to South Korea starting end of September
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The fruits will initially be sourced from Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry-accredited orchards and packing houses of Dole Philippines in Davao, Bukidnon, and South Cotabato
Fresh Philippine Hass avocadoes will be exported to South Korea starting end of September, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement.
The announcement came after an official letter from the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs-Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency was sent to the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
The protocol on “Plant Quarantine Import Requirements of Fresh ‘Hass’ Avocado fruits from the Philippines into the Republic of Korea” was signed and agreed upon by both countries on June 19, 2023. It took effect on September 8, 2023.
The market access of fresh Hass avocado to Korea was first requested by the Philippine government in 2009 but was placed on hold due to the “one-at-a-time” policy for Pest Risk Analysis (PRA).
The PRA for Hass avocado resumed after Manila secured market access for okra exports to Korea in 2021.
The Philippine fresh Hass avocado exports will initially be sourced from DA-BPI-accredited orchards and packing houses of Dole Philippines in Davao, Bukidnon, and South Cotabato.
Hass avocadoes are popular in Korea as the main nutritional ingredient for salad and sandwiches. It is available at leading retail stores and online markets in fresh and frozen form but is mostly from Latin American countries.
To familiarize Koreans with the Philippine fruit, the DA, through the Philippine Agriculture Office in Seoul in close coordination with Dole Korea, will support promotional activities to increase awareness of consumers and boost exports.
“We thank the Korean government for finally approving the market access of our Hass avocado exports,” Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said as he announced that the country can now export Hass avocado to Korea for the 2023–2024 season.
As one of the largest food importers in the world, South Korea is a huge market for Philippine agricultural exports.
In 2022, South Korea was the fourth largest destination of Philippine agri-food exports, with US$574.27 million in total agri-fisheries export value.
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