Mango supplies poised for strong spring movement

Retailers should see plenty of mango volume this spring for heavy promotions, importers say.

Greg Golden, partner in Vineland, N.J.-based Amazon Produce Network, said the Mexican mango season started earlier this year than previous years, but demand usually increases in the spring.

“This year, pricing has been very promotable,” Golden said. “We should see 3 to 4 million boxes a week in April” shipping from Mexico.

He predicted another season of record-breaking volume with peak supplies from southern Mexico from the beginning of April to mid-May, shifting to more northern regions, such as Nayarit and Sinaloa, from mid-June through August.

“Retailers should have zero reservations on promoting heavily for Cinco de Mayo,” Golden said.

“The past few years it’s been hard to have enough volume for hot retail prices. It lines up really nice for us this year.”

Rudy Uresti, CEO of Jade Produce LLC, Mission, Texas, said he expects strong Mexican mango volumes in April and May.

“In spring, things start moving more and more,” he said.

Uresti said some Mexican mangoes arrived too early in the season, in February, and that suppressed the market.

Chris Ciruli, partner in Ciruli Bros. LLC, Rio Rico, Ariz., also said he expects a huge mango season from Mexico starting in mid-April.

Prices

As of March 26, flats of one-layer haden 6-8s from Mexico were $4-5, tommy atkins were $4-4.50, and autaulfo 12s were $6.50-7.50, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Manuel Michel, executive director of the National Mango Board, Orlando, Fla., said mango volumes from late March to the week of May 14 should be 16% higher over last year, with 49 million boxes in 2018 compared to 42 million boxes last year.

“Through the spring months, mangoes from Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Haiti are available in the U.S.,” he said.

James Watson, mango commodity manager for Robinson Fresh, Eden Prairie, Minn., said “We anticipate a healthy volume of mangoes this spring.”

“It should be comparable to a typical season. To date, we have not witnessed any extreme weather events or other factors that would lead us to believe the crop yield will be anything but normal.”

Sizing

Watson said in April and May, mangoes will primarily be arriving from Oaxaca and Michoacan, Mexico.

“The sizing profile is expected to be typical with peak sizing on 9s, 10s, and 12s,” he said in late March.

The mango board reports Mexican mango sizes are larger than normal.

Michel said about two-thirds of ataulfo/honey mangoes are large — sizes 12, 13-15 and 16-17, and about a third are small — sizes 18, 20, and 22-23.

He said 63% of Mexican round varieties, tommy atkins and hadens, are large, sizes 10, 9, and 8; 19% are extra-large, sizes 7 and 6; and 18% are small, sizes 12 and 14.

According to the mango board, the Peruvian season was expected to finish in early April, and the Costa Rican season should lose steam by mid-April.

The Mexican season began in January and runs until October. The Nicaraguan season started in mid-March and is expected to run until the last week of April.

The Guatemalan season began in March and should run through the end of May. The Haitian season should begin the third week of April and run until September.