Peru's mango export volumes could be heavily affected by the ongoing drought in the country, an industry representative has said.

Juan Carlos Rivera Ortega of the Peruvian Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (APEM), said Peru could export around 200,000 metric tons (MT) of mango in the 2020-21 campaign, which will begin in November.

This volume would be much lower than the record 234,000MT exported in the previous season and cannot be completely explained by the alternation in production, which is not expected to be very strong, he said.

“There are other variables that can affect this projection, such as drought. The reservoirs are reaching historical minimum levels and there is a lack of rain on the Peruvian coast, especially on the north coast, that could affect all the crops on the coast, including mango,” he said.

Rivera added that mango plants needed to be constantly watered at this stage of their growth so that the fruit reaches the calibers that the market requires.

He also said that there was a La Niña phenomenon in development and that the rains were scarce. Therefore, managing the water correctly is very important, which is why they have asked the authorities to apply the regulations and give priority to permanent crops, including mango, banana, and grape crops.

Rivera recalled that the San Lorenzo reservoir, which is currently at half its capacity, stores the water to irrigate all the crops installed in the San Lorenzo Valley (Piura), which is the main mango producing area.