The secretive, semi-illicit world of WhatsApp mango importing

There is some subtlety that is being left out in the discussion here. Latin American and US producers have a huge incentive to keep others out, so even though it's legal to import in 2021 with the right inspections, importing still requires support from the USDA.

You can see the countries that dominate imports here (screenshots because USDA site is slow): https://imgur.com/a/Xkum5Kh

original USDA source: https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?programArea=fruit&top...

Worth noting, the National Mango Board, which operates under the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service oversight, lists it's roster here - https://www.mango.org/about-the-nmb/meet-the-nmb/meet-the-bo...

Going down the list, the country/region affiliations of the board members are mostly obvious and leaning in favor of Latin America. These appointments are until 2023 and have no representation for the largest mango producers - India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc. - also the countries most people agree produce the best mangos in the world.

Taken as a whole, my interpretation is there's a strong lobby by Latin American and US producers keeping the USDA from supporting mango imports from non Latin American countries. In the end, competition drives quality - and until the Latin American and US producers have a need to compete, we will keep getting lower quality and fibrous mangos in the US.

This reminds me of the Bangapalli mango dealer of den haag. I vividly remember that day. It was really dark night with full moon. He gave me a location which was near schildersbuurt which is a shady place in hague. In reached on time, but no one was there. But the moment he arrive at the spot, out of no where there were 50 people or so just came out to collect their mangoes.

It was pretty cool experience.

One of the thing, which was really nice about that guy was if mangoes would get spoil during the travel, he wouldn't charge you money.

I remember someone told me once that importing alphonso mango was banned in netherlands because of invasive fruit flies that could come with it.

Seeing this on HN, the first thing I focus on is WhatsApp. But if you read the article, this is a story that could play out on many networks in 2021; it just so happens WhatsApp is the most popular.

In my town, in the US, WhatsApp also plays a large role in civic life, commerce, rumors, etc., for better or for worse. It does feel like the medium is the message, but all the alternatives seek to more or less replicate the medium.

There is something to be said about WhatsApp being so integral to this story, but if you read the article, that's not really the story.

Anywho, we have pretty good mangoes here either way.

This reminds me of a couple of odd Mango stories. One, the gift of Mangoes by the Paki diplomats to chairman Mao[1] back in the '60s. It looked like the Chinese didn't fully understand the symbolism of the mango, but ran with it and turned around and made it into a worker's symbol) and the one about the Miyazaki mango[2] where some random guy offered the sapling of an expensive mango to an unsuspecting recipient who later learned it was a very valuable variety.

[1]https://www.dawn.com/news/1457496

[2]https://www.vice.com/en/article/k783gy/worlds-most-expensive...

Oh my god, I got into one of these mango buying groups once! I had no idea it was a worldwide phenomenon. The little group I found was in the Netherlands and, of course, conducted in a pretty shady way over Whatsapp. At some point someone was even going to charter a plane for the mangoes, but then something happened and it all fell apart at the last minute :(

[edit] apparently someone else in this thread has bought from the same sketchy Dutch mango dealer, this is hilarious.

The title of this article is going to create a (hopefully friendly) flame war.

Also for the record, the best mangoes are categorically Alphonso.

But it goes without saying - the varieties from mango season beat the supermarket fare by astronomic margins.

The greatest mangoes come from Ratnagiri in India, something difficult to import to US as well

Just pointing it out in case people are unaware, but anyone involved in illicit trade with Pakistan is, as a side effect, funding terrorist groups like Taliban.

Heh, was a member of a similar group a couple of years back, but for curry leaves. There was some kind of blight going round in parts of India, and they were banned from import into the UK.

Few years ago I tried to import Haapoos(English name, Alphonso) mangoes in the UK from India. I was informed by the authorities that bulk import is not allowed. A person can carry mangoes in luggage while entering the UK. But bulk importing was disallowed. That was a bummer, as these mangoes are very delicious and has some fantastic aroma.

What's also not well known is that the 2006 U.S.-India nuclear deal is what opened the door to Indian mango imports:

https://georgetownvoice.com/2006/03/16/more-nukes-for-indian...

Mangoes are the King of fruits. The best are from India and a close second are those from Thailand. When i lived in the US it was a shock to me that i could not find any good Mangoes at all. The ones imported from Latin America tasted like mud and were only used for Salsas. I could not convince my American friends that they had never tasted true Mangoes since they had had no exposure to the real thing. That any civilized being in this age of globalization could be unaware of how Mangoes really tasted blew my mind. The Agriculture Mafia in the Western countries are really denying their brethren some of nature's best bounties.

> Customs restrictions, high transport costs, and a short shelf life have made the world’s greatest mangoes — grown in Pakistan — difficult to come by in the U.S.

Similar scenarios are being played out Durians as well in many countries, mainly due to its pungent smell. :-)

Ohh man, how I miss the mangoes of my homeland. Nothing beats the taste of a cold Himsagar on a hot summer day.

Salem gundu and banganapalli FTW !

USA has a lot of non-tariff barriers, and they are applied very arbitrary. USA is very protective of its food market.

Some times it looks very silly how one country is burdened to the neck with sanitary restrictions, while its neighbour not so far away can be having none of that.

People are discussing in hushed tones of mangoes at parties?

The world sure has changed.

Yes, this is a comment about what I call the New-Yorker tired long-form style of writing. Hype, hyperbole, weird mix of personal anecdotes, facts and always with a heavy syrup of cold-war-era like of under-cover midnight-meeting, world-weary, globe-trotting investigation.

This story makes me angry. Customs rules exist for a reason. Invasive species cause billions of dollars of damage annually and destroy ecosystems. Oh but you got to taste a rare mango so it’s okay!!

Edit: another comment mentioned it’s all legal and the title is bad. But I made it half through the very long article and it mentions illegals instances and only rare legal instance so far although I was skimming. I am still mad.

"semi-illicit"? It's flat-out illegal, not semi-illicit.

Inadvertently or not, illegal imports can bring in invasive species, like the Asian carp or even less interesting things like fruit molds that threaten native species and often spread like crazy. There's a reason why imports are regulated.

And, it's potentially a felony under the Lacey Act. That's why it's secretive. This isn't sneaking out at night after your parents grounded you.. this potentially damages entire ecosystems.