U.S. suspends Haitian mango imports

The USDA suspended the import authorization for mangoes from Haiti as of the end of January 2023.

The director of the USDA Central America and the Caribbean area, Jorge Abad, explained in a letter to the president of the Haitian National Association of Mango Exporters (ANEM), Ralph Perry, that this measure had been taken because of the insecurity in the country.

“We are taking this action due to worsening challenges in Haiti that have made it impossible for our APHIS inspectors to work safely. The decision is about agreement with the information we received from the Embassy of the U.S. in Port-au-Prince,” stated Abad.

Fruit exporters in Haiti considered this decision to be a strong blow for a sector that, according to industry estimates, exported between $10-12 million worth a year.