At present, Malaga's producers are harvesting only small volumes of open ground mangoes, even though this year's fruit setting problems, caused by the impact of low temperatures, have affected mostly the earliest varieties, such as the Tommy Atkins.
The first greenhouse mango harvests took place in late July in Malaga. This is a form of cultivation that is gaining ground in the AxarquÃa, and although perhaps not the same colouration is achieved as that of mangoes grown in the open ground, the fruit reaches good Brix levels.
According to reports from some industry leaders, there is some anxiety amongst producers to get to the market first with a domestic product and try obtaining substantial prices. This entails the marketing of unripe fruit that does not reach the quality standards demanded by the market.
This phenomenon, they say, has become more severe with the advent of the financial crisis, and although we are not talking about very large volumes, it can have a negative impact on consumption. The main producers and traders will not start the marketing campaign until about ten or fifteen days from now.
In general, while this was going to be a "on" year with a very large production, the campaign's figures will eventually only be slightly higher than last year's, ranging between 16,000 and 20,000 tonnes. It is difficult to predict what the exact harvest volume will be, since mangoes are mostly a smallholders' crop. It will therefore not be until the end of season when the exact number of kilos harvested will be known.