Mangoes from Mexico started shipping a week or two earlier than last year, as the season kicked off early. And it’s looking pretty good so far, a few importers say with caution.
“Mexico is a very difficult one to predict because it’s such a huge season. Sometimes we receive fruit from five or six different regions.” — said Gilmar Mello, managing partner at Amazon Produce Network, Vineland, N.J.
In February, the country’s Chiapas, Oaxaca and Michoacán regions were harvesting and packing.“Still, we are having a little more availability this year. We have had normal weather in Mexico, so earlier flowering and earlier harvesting when we compare with last year,” he said.Also, the market was dry because the volume from Peru was low after a delayed season, so it opened a window into late January with higher prices for Mexico, Mello said.
The 2020-21 Peruvian season is projected to be about 6% lower year-over-year, according to the National Mango Board, and the 2021 Mexican season up to mid-June is projected to be about 15% higher.
Last year, Michoacán had some bad rains that lowered production, Mello said. But Mexico is one of the major, if not the top, player for U.S. mango imports.
“The percent can change in any given year, but on average 65% of all mangoes sold in the U.S. are produced in Mexico,” said Jessica Bohlman, the board’s communications manager, in mid-February. “At this time, we do not foresee any issues regarding operations or logistics.”
The Mexican mango season began the first week of January and will run until the first week of October.
For Amazon Produce Network, shipping began mid-January, and for Ciruli Bros., Nogales, Ariz., shipping started mid-February. “Ample rainfall from the fall months has resulted in good tree health across the growing regions,” said Sandra Aguilar, who handles marketing and strategy for Ciruli Bros. “Bloom has been strong, and we expect sizing to run a bit bigger as a result.”
The company has an annual volume of 6.5 million packages between yellow and round mango varieties across about 12,355 acres from Oaxaca all the way north to Sinaloa.
Shipping for all U.S. imported mangoes from Mexico ramps up from about 29,700 boxes the first week of January to, if it’s anything like 2020’s volume, 3.5 million boxes the second week of June, according to the National Mango Board’s weekly crop report updated Feb. 19. But, weather withstanding, this could be an even better year for Mexican mangoes, according to the board:
- Volume projections up to week 23 (ending June 12) are expected to be about 43.4 million boxes;
- Mexico’s main varieties are: tommy atkins at 40%, ataulfo/honey at 27%, kent at 19%, keitt at 11% and others comprising the remaining 3%; and
- On the week ending Feb. 13, volume shipped from Mexico was about 685,695 boxes, for a total of 2.4 million boxes for the season; during the same week last year, volume shipped from Mexico was 539,446 boxes for a total of 1.5 million boxes.
