The Peruvian mango season has only just begun and predictions say that exports will rise by 20%. President of Promango Ángel Gamarra told PortalFrutícola.com that the Edward and Haden varieties have already begun to ship to Chile. 

Peru is expecting to export 210,000 metric tons (MT) of the fruit through sea, air and land freight. 

According to Gamarra, Kent is the primary variety that the country will export. It will make up 95% of exported mangoes. 

Following trends, Europe still receives the greatest amount of Peruvian mangoes followed by the U.S. Undoubtedly, the Asian market is steadily growing in countries like Korea and Japan. 

Additionally, exporters are anticipated to send the highest volume of mangoes between Dec. 20 and Jan. 15. 

Referring to the price of mangoes, Gamarra stated that they are "hoping to maintain a similar price as previous years both in the U.S. and Europe".

Peruvian mango projections

Temperatures for mango blossoming were favorable. Gamarra said: “Mango tree blossoming started in the middle of June and ended in late September. Therefore, the harvest was also prolonged.”

He also commented that new planting area available in Casma, an important area in central Peru, is growing. 

It will be important to focus on climate conditions as a primary challenge to face this season. This is because of the rains that begin in February which could affect some exports. 

Gamarra explained that while there are new varieties, they are primarily focusing on exporting Kent mangoes. He stated, "Kent is in high demand in the international market. It is the best quality in the world because of its size, flavor and behavior."

Fresh fruit is the focus of Peru's mango exports, but frozen mangoes are becoming more popular. “An important part of production is frozen mangoes. We also have dehydrated mangoes,” explained Gamarra.

Other origins

Currently, there are four principal cultivars of mango in the market, according to recent statistics from the Mango Crop Report. 

Those varieties include Tommy Atkins (62%), Keitt (34%), Palmer (2%) and Ataulfo/Honey (2%). There are also a limited number of Hadens.

Predictions suggest that Mexico's mango exports will grow by 2% from last year. In Brazil, an 8% growth rate is projected and in Ecuador it may decrease by 4%.