The forecasts are again unfavourable for the mango harvest in Spain, where its production is expected to collapse even more than last year, falling by 70 to 80% compared to its potential.
“Due to the influence of inappropriate temperatures during the flower setting phase, a large number of abortions have occurred, which suggests a drastic drop in mango production, with volumes even lower than last year,” explains Álvaro Martínez, director of the Malaga-based company Axarfruit.
“The situation is dramatic. We were all very excited because we initially thought we would have a better mango harvest, as the first forecasts suggested. So we are going to have a fairly short campaign of Spanish mangoes again, which we will have to supplement with other origins to ensure the continuity of supply to our customers”, says Álvaro Martínez.
“Thus, the subtropical fruit producing areas of Malaga are severely affected by various factors and are accumulating several complicated campaigns”, regrets the director of this company that produces, imports and exports tropical fruits and organic lemons.
“The Spanish mango is a product that sells very well thanks to its quality-price ratio and its proximity to European markets. However, producers cannot cope with the increase in their production costs with such drastically low harvests”, he maintains.
Since last summer, the world mango market has been characterized by a scarce product supply, which continues to this day:
“We already had a ridiculous harvest of Spanish mangoes and then the same thing happened with the supply from Peru, which fell by more than 70%. The African mango harvest has also fallen drastically due to the heat and problems such as anthracnose. It is a headache to get enough mangoes,” says the director of Axarfruit, who is currently working with mangoes from Senegal and Brazil.
As for avocados, the company currently imports mainly from Peru. “We are facing an atypical campaign with very high prices, which we have not seen for four or five years, because the effects of El Niño have caused a considerable reduction in the Peruvian supply. Obviously, avocado and mango are becoming a matter for specialists, for those with experience,” concludes Álvaro Martínez.
This article is originally published on freshplaza.fr
