The Queensland Government is offering three elite mango varieties for commercial development.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the varieties developed under the National Mango Breeding Program have potential for domestic and export markets.

“We’re very optimistic about these mango varieties and the long-term opportunities they bring for Australian growers,” Mr Furner said.

“When the National Mango Breeding Program was established in 1994, the objective was to address limitations with the Kensington Pride mango variety.

“We’re anticipating growers will be carefully watching the next stage of development of these varieties as a future option.”

The Queensland Government has been assigned the licensing rights on behalf of the program’s other research partners, the CSIRO, Western Australian Agriculture Authority and Northern Territory Department of Tourism, Industry and Trade.

Mr Furner said the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will licence the intellectual property associated with the three mango varieties, with the successful licensee to manage propagation, growing and marketing of the fruit.

“This agreement builds on our existing track record, investing in innovation so Queensland farmers can be the best in the world,” he said.

“The Department has more than 20 commercial licences based on research outcomes including another popular mango variety, pineapples, macadamia, citrus and stone fruit varieties.”

Mr Furner said the mango varieties – which are yet to be officially named – could be on supermarket shelves soon.

“There are already more than 20 producers growing the varieties on orchards in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales,” Mr Furner said.

“We’re hoping there will be small volumes of high-quality fruit available for the domestic market this season.

“An export trial in Singapore is also being considered which would provide valuable consumer feedback and supply chain data going forward for the successful licensee.”

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has advertised for expressions of interest on the QTenders website to identify the most suitable business to manage the commercialisation activities.

An exclusive licence agreement is anticipated to be in place with the successful business for the 2022 season.