Taiwanese mangoes, renowned for their aroma, sweetness, and high quality, will be exported to Europe for the first time in 2026. The initial shipments will go to France and the United Kingdom, marking a significant market expansion for Taiwan's fruit industry.
According to David Chen, CEO of Natural House Taiwan, a fruit export company, despite rising transportation costs driving up prices, consumers are still willing to pay because of the superior quality of Taiwanese mangoes.
Taiwan's ( China ) representative in France, Hao Pei-Chi (left), introduces Taiwanese mangoes to Bruno Chartier, Director of Sun 7 Fruits, a fruit import company (France), in June 2026. Photo: CNA.
"The cost of exporting mangoes is currently very high, but even if prices rise in 2026, consumers will still embrace the product," said Chen at a fruit packing facility in Taichung City.
Europe currently imports mangoes primarily from India and Pakistan. However, according to export businesses, the distinctive flavor of Taiwanese mangoes could provide a competitive advantage in the premium segment.
Although Taiwan is world-renowned for its semiconductor industry, agriculture was the sector that brought the island to the international market. Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan exported a variety of agricultural products such as pineapples and bananas.
The Irwin mango variety, renowned for its intense sweetness, was introduced to Taiwan from the United States in the 1960s and has now become the island's signature mango variety.
In 2025, Taiwan will produce over 100 million kilograms of mangoes, but will only export a small percentage, mainly to Japan, Hong Kong (China), and South Korea.
To bring mangoes to the European market, growers must meet the strict standards of the European Union (EU), particularly regarding pesticide residue levels and management practices in the growing region.
You Tsang-fu, who has been growing the Summer Snow hybrid mango variety in Taitung County for the past 15 years, said the first trial shipment to Europe consisted of only 5 crates of mangoes.
"The EU has much stricter requirements than the domestic market, from fruit selection to orchard management," he said.
Taiwanese authorities are encouraging farmers to expand export markets amid trade tensions with China. In recent years, Beijing has repeatedly suspended imports of certain Taiwanese fruits such as pineapples, custard apples, wax apples, and mangoes, citing plant quarantine reasons.
Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te has accused China of "weaponizing" agricultural trade through import restrictions, while China maintains these decisions stem from quarantine and safety requirements.
Nevertheless, Mr. You remains confident that Taiwanese mangoes will win over European consumers.
"The best mangoes in Taiwan are Summer Snow. To put it metaphorically, they are the Louis Vuitton of the mango world," he said.