More Americans will be able to enjoy Philippine-grown bananas as the US government has allowed the entry of the fruit to Hawaii, Guam and Northern Marianas.

According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Aphis)—which is under the supervision of the US Department of Agriculture—fresh, green Philippine bananas can enter the Pacific state and the two territories starting Nov. 10 this year.

This comes in the wake of a similar rule that allows the importation into the United States of Philippine mangoes harvested in places other than Guimaras Island.

“As a condition of entry, the bananas will have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach,” the Aphis said in a new rule that was made public on Oct. 10.

The systems approach requires importation of commercial consignments, monitoring of fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of production, harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine pests by the Philippines’ Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

“The bananas will also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were grown, packed, and inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests,” the agency said.

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