Tholen - The mango market is going through tough times. "Since last week, there has really been a shortage", Ive Lambert of Starfruit relates. "The Ivory Coast is completely out of it now. There is some Kent coming from Mali, and Keitt from Puerto Rico, but that is also very limited." According to him, the quality isn't really something to write home about either. "Mali and Puerto Rico are both not really suitable for ripening. That gives you high rejection rates."
High attrition
The various origins aren't succeeding each other smoothly this year. "Last year, supply from Mali was sufficient. That isn't the case this year." Ive says that prices are high, but there is a lot of rejections. "Most people need mangoes now to put into their ready-to-eat programme. Calculating price doesn't make you happy. You do make a price, but the rejection rate is higher. When you sell a mango 'hard', there is a lot less rejection than when you ripen it. There are various reasons for this, such as picking too early, rain or other weather conditions. You only see the damage after ripening. Anthracnose is often involved. That's one of the most common diseases in this exotic fruit. A pallet will look good on arrival, but after ripening it can happen that you have to throw away over half of it."
The various origins aren't succeeding each other smoothly this year. "Last year, supply from Mali was sufficient. That isn't the case this year." Ive says that prices are high, but there is a lot of rejections. "Most people need mangoes now to put into their ready-to-eat programme. Calculating price doesn't make you happy. You do make a price, but the rejection rate is higher. When you sell a mango 'hard', there is a lot less rejection than when you ripen it. There are various reasons for this, such as picking too early, rain or other weather conditions. You only see the damage after ripening. Anthracnose is often involved. That's one of the most common diseases in this exotic fruit. A pallet will look good on arrival, but after ripening it can happen that you have to throw away over half of it."
More ready-to-eat means more rejection
He states that, for that reason, the number of mangoes sold each year is rather stable. "The imported share is increasing a bit, but because a lot more is used for RTE programmes, attrition is higher as well." The mango is still an expensive exotic fruit. "There's other fruit at much lower prices now. The wholesale price for stone fruit, for instance, is between 1 and 1.25 per kilo now. Even for mangoes transported by plane, that's impossible to attain. Those prices are normally around 4 Euros, and now even 4.5 to 5 Euros per kilo. Still, there is demand for it."
Ive states that things will remain tough for a few more weeks. "The first volumes from Senegal are on their way now, and they're expected next week. Supply will be good for a while then, but another dip might be on the way. We'll have to wait for Israel Kent then, although not a lot of supply is expected there. Normally, supply by boat from Mexico is added to that, but volumes are on the low side. So Mexico will sooner opt for transport by plane, which is more lucrative for them."
For more information:
Ive Lambert
Starfruit Company
Werkhuizenkaai 112-154
Brussel - Belgium
Tel: + 32-022420876
Fax: + 32-022421208
www.star-fruit.eu