SYDNEY, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's mango growers aims to produce close to 8 million trays of mangoes this year meant for domestic and international consumption.
Australian Mango Industry Association Chairman Greg McMahon told Xinhua on Thursday that a tray of mango would normally consist of 2.5 kg worth of fruits and expects growers all around to have a good crop this year.
"We also plan to gradually increase our exports to the international markets by 20 percent from the 12 percent we did last year," McMahon said.
"Hopefully the increase in exports can be achieved this year," he said.
Australian mangoes which are seasonal fruits between the months of October to April are grown mostly in tropical states such as Queensland and Northern Territory and are exported to countries such as China, New Zealand and Singapore.
"Aussie mangoes are very popular fruits because it evokes the start of summer and people normally associate fond memories with the fruit," he said.
He also said Australian mangoes stood out as it had a distinctive and "beautiful" flavor which were not found in mangoes that came from other countries.
McMahon, who became chairman for the association in May, said the organisation represents almost 85 percent of the mangoes growers in Australia.
McMahon does not expect any serious issues to plague mango growers this year except for the normal weather issues that it deals with annually.
Meanwhile, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Thursday that Gold Coast fruiterer paid 22,000 Australian dollars (16,000 U.S. dollars) at auction held in Brisbane for the season's first tray of mangoes consisting of 16 fruits.
McMahon said the event which marks the start of the mango season was held annually and has been ongoing for the past 15 years.
"All proceeds from the auction are donated to charity organisations," he said.
