The low temperatures recorded at the beginning of the year are expected to decrease mango production in 2018. As a result, producers don't expect to match the 750 thousand boxes that were marketed in 2017.
The president of the State Council of Mango Producers, Martel Martinez Jimenez, said that the beginning of the harvest had been very weak both in price and in production.
"I think this year's harvest is going to be a little lower than we expected because the temperatures at the beginning of the year were quite low, and the trees, especially of the ataulfo variety, are very sensitive to changes in temperature. As a result, the fruit doesn't develop as well," he said.
In addition, the crops are still being affected by the morning cold, which prevents the trees from having an even flowering, and makes it difficult to achieve a million boxes this year, as was the goal.
Martinez Jimenez said that they had harvested 750 thousand boxes last year, but that they wouldn't reach that amount this year.
He also said that the mango orchards that bloomed in November were not that affected by the low temperatures, but that the cold weather had had a strong effect on the orchards that bloomed in December, January, and February.
According to Jimenez, the strong winds registered at the beginning of the year had not affected the mango orchards as much as the cold temperatures.
The situation is somewhat complicated for mango producers, he said. Production is low and prices are also lower than in previous years, as a box of Ataulfo mangoes is currently being bought for 200 to 250 pesos.
A box normally contains 30 kilograms of mangoes.
Source: colimanoticias.com