New Zealand lift import ban on Taiwanese mangoes

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) said Tuesday that New Zealand will soon remove its prohibition on imported Taiwanese mangoes, which was imposed after it found live fly larvae in a shipment of lychees and mangoes from Taiwan in June. The shipment was stopped at the New Zealand border, and the larvae were confirmed to be that of the oriental fruit fly, a dangerous pest on a wide range of fruits. At the time, Tsou Hui-chuan (鄒慧娟), deputy director-general of the COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said that the larvae had been found only on lychees and not on mangoes, even though they were part of the same shipment. Nonetheless, New Zealand suspended imports of both lychee and mangoes from Taiwan, as the two fruits are known to be hosts of the oriental fruit fly, Tsou told CNA on Tuesday. After discussions between the two sides, however, New Zealand has agreed to lift the import ban on Taiwan mangoes, on condition of a ...