South Korea becomes Thailand’s top mango export market, says TPSO

South Korea has become Thailand’s top mango export market, thanks to the South Korean government’s tropical fruit import measure and trends of mango sticky rice, the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) said on Friday.

The office director-general Poonpong Naiyanapakorn noted that mango has been among the important economic fruits for Thailand, thanks to its identity in taste and species.

Thai mango has become popular in the international market, he said, adding that South Korea has become the no 1 mango export market for Thailand, followed by Malaysia.He explained that Thailand exported fresh mangos worth 2.93 billion baht to South Korea in 2024, up 132.7% year on year. 

This achievement was all thanks to the South Korean government’s measure to expand import quota and reduce tariffs on tropical fruits, aiming to mitigate the expense burden among consumers and tackle product shortage, he said.

He said Thai mango gained advantage on pricing thanks to the South Korean government’s measure to waive import tariff on mangos from the previous 30%.  

South Korean consumers’ behaviour to consume fresh fruits after meals or appetisers, as well as trends of mango sticky rice on social media, resulted in positive sentiment on Thai mangos, he added.

Poonpong noted that South Korea is likely to import more Thai fruits, including mangos, avocados and bananas. 

Malaysia is still an export market for Thai mangos thanks to The popularity of consuming fresh fruits and making a mango shake, he said, adding that Japan has an increasing demand for fresh mangos on healthcare trends and dessert processing.

He asserted that the Commerce Ministry is putting effort into fruit exports through various projects every year, such as border trade fairs, soft power promotion policies and fruit business matching.

“Thai fruits are recognised by South Koreans as high-quality premium products. If Thailand can maintain the quality of its products, it will help boost consumer confidence and opportunities to expand the market,” he said.

He added that Thailand is currently in the process of negotiating with South Korea on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which is expected to boost exports of Thai fruits further.

(2025/02/28-00:00)