The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today that, as required by statute, it will conduct a referendum for eligible first handlers and importers of mangos to vote on whether to continue the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order and whether to continue provisions that include frozen mangos. The referendum will be held Sept. 21 - Oct. 9, 2020.
USDA will determine the results of the two referendum questions separately. USDA will continue the mango program if continuance is favored by a majority of first handlers and importers voting in the referendum. In addition, USDA will retain the provisions of the order that added frozen mangos to the program and increased the size of the board if favored by a majority of fresh first handlers and importers and frozen importers, or if favored by a majority of frozen importers, voting in the referendum.
To vote in the referendum, first handlers must have received 500,000 or more pounds of fresh mangos from producers, and importers must have imported into the United States 500,000 or more pounds of fresh mangos or 200,000 or more pounds of frozen mangos. In addition, to vote in the referendum entities must have been subject to assessments during the representative period and are currently subject to assessments under the program. Frozen importers began to be assessed under the order on July 22, 2019, and therefore are eligible to vote since they imported during the representative period, which was Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019.
AMS will conduct the referendum by express mail and electronic ballot. Ballots and voting instructions will be express mailed to all known eligible first handlers and importers of fresh and frozen mangos before the voting period. Any eligible first handler or importer who does not receive a ballot by Oct. 2, 2020, should contact referendum agent Marlene Betts at (202) 720-5057, (202) 720-9915 or Marlene.Betts@ams.usda.gov. Completed ballots delivered to AMS via express mail or electronic means must be delivered no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 9, 2020.
The notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 18, 2020.
More information about referendum procedures is in Subpart B of the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order. For more information about the Board, visit the AMS National Mango Board webpage and the board’s website, Mango.org.
The mango program is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. The program was developed to maintain and expand existing markets for fresh and frozen mangos in the U.S.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service provides oversight of 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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