Peru comes up just short of mango forecast
Peru did not quite meet the season's mango forecast of 100,000 tons (MT), but the Andean nation did keep close, reaching 95,000 MT for the year.
In an interview with www.freshfruitportal.com, Juan Carlos Rivera, general manager of the Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (APEM), explained that the low number came as a result of strikes in the San Lorenzo Valley in week 52 and week one.
He divided the season into two parts, the first ending around week three or four when Peruvian shipments clashed with Brazil in Europe and with Ecuador in the U.S.
"There was a lot of market pressure and prices were not quite right," he said.
The second phase began around week four or five, when Brazil and Ecuador moved out of the markets.
"Volumes were better and prices behaved better. In general, I think the second phase was better than the first," Rivera said.
While shipments continued to be concentrated in fresh fruit, Rivera said there was a shake up in the market shares.
"I don't know if it's a trend or an exception for this campaign but what is certain is that in the last six or seven years, the U.S. has represented 35% of fresh shipments from Peru and this year the share reached around 45%," he said.
He added that there was an increase in transit times for exports. To avoid a negative impact on fruit quality, exporters preferred shipments to the U.S. over Europe.
Currently Peru can export fresh mangoes of up to 650 grams to the U.S. APEM and the Peruvian government are currently working to increase that number to 750, with the processed fruit industry as its target.
"I estimate that 10% of the harvest is of higher caliber than 650, so what we hope is that those of higher quality - which would not be sold on a supermarket shelf - could be processed, cut fresh and served fresh in restaurants or hotels," he said.
"We have already finished the steps asked for by the USDA, which basically consist of testing the efficiency of water treatment against seven fruit fly species, and it holds up."
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