South Africa’s mango export season isn’t running on all cylinders yet, as Tommy Atkins makes up the bulk of the harvest at the moment and more’s the pity, as two regions whose harvests normally are sequential, came in simultaneously this year, causing an early Tommy Atkins peak.
Usually, Malelane’s mangoes are earlier than those from Hoedspruit but this year both arrived at the same time, causing a bit of an oversupply on the market.
Mangoes are for the moment mostly exported to the Middle East and Russia, both markets of which growth is expected, with a sprinkling to the EU and India. Exports will start in all earnest with Kent and Keitt by the end of the month. Tommy Atkins sometimes has a tendency towards jelly seed disorder and for that reason it is not a big export cultivar.
Prices on the export markets are “liveable”, says one exporter. “In Dollar terms, prices are the same as last year, but with the strengthened Rand, the price back on the farm isn’t wonderful.”
Back home there are large volumes on the market, compounded by low prices for dried mango and even lower for mango juice processing (last year’s record crop has left juicing manufacturers with a surplus), and local prices are consequently on the weak side, but varying widely according to quality, freshness and origin, spanning from R20 (€1.34) to R40 (€2.67), but averaging around R30 (€2) to R33 (€2.2) for 4kg cartons, somewhat down compared to week 1 of 2017.
Not that it comes as a surprise. Many South Africans are still on holiday; schools only start in the third week of January and traditionally the first two weeks of the year are sluggish for fresh produce sales.
At one fresh produce market, an agent says that the market moves so slowly that there are still significant mango volumes left from before Christmas. “However, I got some fresh mangoes in today and that sold for very good prices.”
Expectations of a normalisation in 2 to 3 weeks
With high temperatures in the north of the country producers have no choice but to pick mangoes as fast as they can. Substantial rain a few weeks ago have resulted in anthracnose in some areas. Expectations are that as Tommy Atkins finishes up, and other cultivars start, the situation will normalise in about two to three weeks’ time.
Tommy Atkins is the main cultivar for the Malelane production area, where the harvest is pretty much packed. Hoedspruit specialises in Keitts, a cultivar with a long window of almost two months. Tzaneen has just started picking its Tommy Atkins.
As for South African mangoes being in an off cycle, there’s not much evidence of that for the moment with all of the Tommy Atkins around, but overall volumes could be down by 30% to 40%.
For more information:
Pieter Buys
South African Mango Growers’ Association
Tel: +27 15 306 6240
Email: buyspb@gmail.com