Orlando, Fla. – Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack recently appointed seven members to serve on the National Mango Board (NMB). The appointees include five new members and two reappointed members.
Kenneth Nabal of Idaho Falls, Idaho; Christopher A. Ciruli of Tubac, Ariz.; and Jiovani Guevara of Monterey, Calif., will serve on the NMB as importers. Jorge Eustacio Perez Calderon of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Reynaldo Hilbck of Miraflores, Piura, Peru; and Altamir Guilherme Martins of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, will serve as foreign producers. Mr. Calderon and Mr. Hilbick are returning to the board to serve a second consecutive term.
Domestic producer Jean Sapp of Lehigh Acres, Fla., will complete a two-year term of office that begins immediately and will end on Dec. 31, 2015. This seat originally belongs to the 2012 nominations cycles when there were no candidates. Each of the other appointees will serve three-year terms of office beginning Jan. 1, 2014 and ending December 31, 2017.
The NMB is grateful for the service of the four board members whose terms have ended. They are George Mendez of Nogales, Ariz.; Armando Celis of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Jim Alvarez of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Flavio Muranaka of Petrolina, Brazil.
About National Mango Board
The National Mango Board is a national promotion and research organization, which is supported by assessments from both domestic and imported mangos. The board was designed to drive awareness and consumption of fresh mangos in the U.S. One cup of mango is only 100 calories, an excellent source of vitamins A and C, a good source of fiber and an amazing source of tropical flavor.
Mango availability per capita has increased 32 percent since 2005 to an estimated 2.47 pounds per year in 2012. Mango import volume for 2012 was 804 million pounds. Learn more at www.mango.org.
Source: National Mango Board