The government has embarked on a campaign to prevent Mexican businessmen from labelling their mangoes that are being sold in the U.S. as mangoes grown from Guimaras island in central Philippines.

"We will make the American authorities know that the mangoes from Mexico are being mislabelled in the U.S. as the famous mangoes from Guimaras island," said Dr. Herman Golez, head of the National Mango Research and Development Center.

"We will make the Mexican authorities realise the unfair practice of private sellers of Mexican mangoes in the U.S., wrongly advertising their products," said Golez.

Guimaras is the only province in the country which the U.S. has permitted to sell mangoes in its markets.

"Philippine agricultural attaches in the U.S. will help solve the problem. But government officials in Manila will help amplify the government's complaint," said Golez.

The country's agricultural attaches will advertise the real qualities and physical appearance of mangoes from Guimaras, to prevent consumers abroad from being hoodwinked by copycats, said Golez.

The government's campaign to save Guimaras mangoes from mislabelled products began after Golez recently came home from the U.S. While there, he saw that many crates bearing the label Guimaras mangoes were always empty because they were sold out early in grocery stores.

Mangoes from other places were not selling as fast as Guimaras mangoes, he observed.

However, there were other unsold mangoes which also carried the Guimaras label. Golez said unscrupulous businessmen were resorting to unlawful practices to sell their products.

"There is a growing demand for the Philippine-grown mango abroad," said Golez, adding the Philippine government's protection campaign for Guimaras mangoes will match the protection given by countries in the West to intellectual property rights.

Guimaras mangoes are very popular among Americans and Filipino-Americans. Those who have tasted them swear they are big, fleshy and sweet. "They are the sweetest mangoes in the world," they said, describing them as "fruit for the gods".

Meanwhile, Golez admitted that Mexican mangoes could also be called Philippines mangoes because Filipinos brought the fruit to Mexico, when Spain colonised the Philippines in the 16th century. At that time, Spain established trade between the Philippines and Mexico, also a Spanish colony.

"But those who know the taste of the real Guimaras mango will surely know how different it is from a Mexican mango," said Golez. "Ours are sweeter."

The unusual sweetness of the mangoes has been attributed to the soil in Guimaras which is rich in magnesium and magnesium bicarbonate.

Guimaras mangoes entered the U.S. and Australian markets last year after a 10-year quarantine against pulp and seed weevil pests that were said to be present in the country.

Exported mangoes are subjected to stringent checks, undergoing vapour-heat treatment before they are exported.

At the same time, Golez has also embarked on an ambitious plan to write a book to dispute Western market allegations that seed weevils still exist in the Philippines.

Golez said he has reviewed a lot of literature on Philippine pests from the year 1914, and found only fruit and pulp weevils in places outside Guimaras. He said he did not find the mango seed weevil variety which the Western markets used as a reason for not accepting mangoes from the Philippines.

Pulp weevils are found only on Palawan Island, which is now in quarantine, Golez explained, adding this will soon make agricultural products in Palawan safe from such pests.

Golez's success in his scientific data-gathering about the non-existence of mango weevils in the country can help persuade more foreign buyers to permit the fruit to be sold abroad.

At the same time, mangoes from Guimaras are favoured abroad because they are grown in a semi-isolated island, with natural barriers from pests and diseases. They can also be quarantined from other pests found in the country, said the department of agriculture in western Visayas and the Philippine Fruit Association.