Guatemalan mango season starts with solid volumes

As the imported Guatemalan mango season kicks off, supplies of mangoes are looking good. “The season just started a couple of weeks ago and should run into May,” says Alan Goldberg of Miami, Fl.-based A&B Tropical Produce. “The volumes look to be a little higher this year. And so far, we’ve seen some bigger sizing. Last year was a bad year for sizing with a lot of smaller fruit, so hopefully this year will be better as the projections are calling for more of the bigger fruit.”

Right now, A&B is bringing in the Tommy Atkins variety, though it’s also importing Francis mangoes from Haiti. Competition meanwhile is coming in from Mexico which is on the verge of starting its own mango season. “And demand is good for mangoes. Every year it seems like there’s a growing consumption overall in mango demand,” says Goldberg, who adds that part of that is largely due to the marketing push from the Mango Board.

Prices set to drop?

Pricing meanwhile is stable for now. “We’re seeing about $7 on size 7s and 8s; about $6.50 on size 9s; and about $5-$5.50 on size 10- 12s,” notes Goldberg. “It’s about the same as it was at this point last year. The big volume is going to start in another couple of weeks so we’re just getting our feet wet right now. Naturally, when the volume starts, the prices are going to drop. The remaining challenges ahead are the inevitable influx of fruit, creating flooded market conditions. But other than that, it’s business as usual.”

For more information:
Alan Goldberg
A&B Tropical Produce
Tel: +1 305 805 1530
alang@abtropical.com
www.abtropical.com