AMS Adds Frozen Mangoes to Promotion Order, to Assess Fees on Imports

The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule to include frozen mangoes as a commodity covered under the mango national research and promotion program, which previously applied only to fresh mangoes. Under the final rule, which takes effect March 25, AMS will assess a fee of $0.01 per pound on imports of frozen mangoes. Imports of less than 200,000 pounds of frozen mangoes per year will be exempt from assessments. AMS issued a separate notice announcing a referendum, to be conducted March 25 through April 12, that will allow importers of fresh and frozen mangoes covered by the promotion order to vote on whether to continue including frozen mangoes in the program.