Spain: Mango season with fewer large calibres expected

The Osteen mango season is starting in Spain, even though the first Tommy Atkins, which are mainly distributed in some Spanish and Portuguese wholesale markets given the insignificant volumes produced, already arrived in early August.

According to Miguel Gutiérrez, president of the Spanish Tropical Fruits Association, "the price of greenhouse-grown Osteen and Tommy Atkins mangoes in auctions already exceed 2 Euro per kilo."

Despite the fact that there will be a significant drop in production this year, of about 50%, Gutiérrez states that "in no case will there be a repeat of the 'disastrous' situation of 2013, when the harvest volume dropped by up to 70% and reached just over 7,000 tonnes."

He also affirms that "the high temperatures registered this summer will be reflected in an excellent quality fruit, with good colour and, unlike last year, there will be fewer large calibres."

The Osteen variety accounts for 90% of Spain's mango production; however, according to Miguel Gutiérrez, the acreage devoted to the production of Keitt is expanding. "The Keitt is becoming increasingly popular; it is harvested between mid-October and mid-November and is more productive than the Osteen, with larger calibres. Despite being a green skin variety in most places, in Spain it gets some colour because its growth is slower than usual."

Furthermore, Miguel explains that there is interest from producers in planting Palmer and Irwin mangoes.

"The Palmer was already grown in Spain about 25 or 30 years ago, but back then it was discarded due to lack of knowledge about pruning during the flowering. Its fruit is smaller than the Osteen, with more regular sizes and a more intense colour. While virtually all production in Brazil is Palmer, this would not entail marketing problems for us, but rather an advantage in Europe."

As for the Irwin, "we consider it a luxury late variety; the best there is to eat," he explains. However, its drawback is the amount of labour required, as it needs to be harvested more often than other varieties, which pushes up the cost. We'll have to see if growing this variety is finally worth it, as by harvesting it in July we have to compete with summer fruit."