"Three weeks ago the quality was not so good," according to Izam Afkir, European Sales and Mango procurement at Halls International. "We now have Kent mangoes from the Casma Valley in Peru and the quality is good, We ripen the mangoes here and they are ripening very well compare to Motupe area."
"The Peruvian mango season started early this year because of the general situation in the world, due to the climatic changes (effects of the El Nino) the growers were uncertain of the season which created a general panic, which led to them picking the fruits 2/3 weeks before they should have. The result of this situation had an effect on the market in December with many arrivals of immature fruits and the supply was more concentrated than normal during January and February. Today the volumes are back to normal and the season will end early," explains Izam.
"People wanted to export quickly as they were uncertain how the season would go, this of course led to higher arrivals in Europe in January and February. Volumes are back to normal now but the season will end early."Demand has been there in general during the season absorbing the volumes with of course some difficult weeks but it has been very strong in the last 2-3 weeks and is being bolstered by Easter promotions in the supermarkets.
Last year Halls launched a new premium range of ready to eat mangoes and avocados and according to Izam it has been a great success, "It is great premium range of high quality ripened fruit and we have seen fantastic growth over the last year. This range requires a lot of attention, and an experianced technical team and Halls with more than 125 years in the business meet this quality standard and through our 4 offices we are today able to offer this product across Europe”
For more information:
Izam Afkir
Halls International
Tel: +33 182 3900 30
Email: izam@hlhall.co.uk
www.hlhalls.co.uk