Mango has become the latest target of a Chinese import ban. On Thursday, 100 kilograms of mangoes from Taiwan were destroyed in Macao, a special administrative region of China. Local authorities said they detected traces of the COVID virus on a sample of the fruit''s packaging. They have levied a one-week import ban on mangoes from the Taiwanese producer. Mango is the latest agricultural product China blocked in recent weeks, following bans on grouper, beltfish and Atlantic horse mackerel.

China’s ban on Taiwan grouper has yet to be resolved, and now a similar problem has erupted. According to a Macao media outlet, the COVID virus was detected on mangoes from Taiwan at the end of June. Authorities destroyed 100 kilograms of the fruit and imposed a one-week import ban.

Chen Chi-chung
Agriculture minister
At present, there is no evidence whatsoever that virus traces on agricultural product packaging can cause human infection. So there is absolutely no scientific basis for this. We hope the Chinese authorities can deal with this situation from a scientific and professional standpoint, rather than in this unilateral manner.

With mango season in full swing, China has once again used COVID as a pretext for an import ban. Taiwan’s farmers say they’re furious.

Tainan mango hawker
This is impossible. There’s no way the virus could survive that long. It would die during the transport period.

Tainan fruit farmer
They’re oppressing us through their policies. I feel quite helpless. Did these mangoes go overseas and then did staff at Chinese customs become infected? We have our doubts.

It takes about three days for Taiwanese mango exports to reach Macao. But officials say that the COVID virus can live only three hours on cellophane. The agricultural ministry is asking Chinese authorities to produce proof of their claims. In a statement, Taiwan''s agricultural inspections unit said it had received no notification from Macao about a problem with the mango shipment.