In a situation that echoes the country's pomegranate season, Peru's earliest easy peeler varieties have had coloring problems and peak exports will likely be running late as a result. 

This is the expectation held by Fruit Growers Consortium of Peru (CPF) commercial manager Marianela Rodríguez, who told Fresh Fruit Portal her company's first mandarin exports for 2016 took place this week with the cultivar Okitsu.

She said the delay in coloring was the result of higher temperatures in productive areas along the Peruvian central coast.

"As far as problems with color are concerned, the only thing they're causing now is a slight delay in having enough exportable volume," she said.

"Put simply, the volume will accumulate toward the middle of the season as the fruit changes color," she said.

She said the slower coloring was caused by less difference between day and night temperatures.

"It's only affecting the early varieties," she clarified. 

And while the fruit may need longer to get on track for harvest, in the absence of any significant weather event the executive forecasts exports will reach 400 containers, representing a 30% year-on-year rise.

"We hope that we won't have to wait for the transition to the fall and that lower temperatures arrive," she said.

While the U.K. and Canada are CPF's main markets for Satsumas, Rodríguez says the company is always on the lookout for new trade opportunities.

"For this season we're thinking our Satsumas will reach markets like Latin America, Russia and the U.S."

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