The mango season in Côte d'Ivoire is set to begin on March 28, the official opening date of the harvest as decided by the Ministry of Agriculture, which has been disclosed to producers pending an official communication from the ministry. This date reflects an increasingly early start to the harvest each year, a manifestation of climate change in West Africa.
Joel Adjoka, CEO of Cofruibo & Mango Fresh, assures that the industry's various stakeholders are ready for the start of the export season. "The relevant parties, including authorities, growers, exporters, and logistics companies, are meeting frequently and preparing for the season's kickoff. Everything points to a normal season, with typical volumes and no major concerns," Adjoka says.
The grower considers it too early to predict the duration of the export campaign. He explains, "The Ivorian campaign typically lasts 7–8 weeks, which should also be the case this season. However, we'll have to wait and see how the campaign unfolds, which will depend on how soon fruit flies arrive."
"Roughly speaking, we need to wait 10 days after the harvest to see the actual start of exports with decent volumes. Then, three weeks later, the picture will be clearer for assessing demand and determining how long the season will last," Adjoka continues.
The threat of shipments interception in the European Union, due to the detection of fruit flies, is weighing on West African mango sources this season; however, according to Adjoka, mangoes from Côte d'Ivoire are not affected by this issue. He adds, "The mango industry in Côte d'Ivoire is more professional than elsewhere in the region, and we are not at all concerned about this debate.
The Ivorian government deploys significant organizational and technical efforts each season to contain this problem, closely monitors exports, and decides to end the export season at the slightest suspicion of fruit flies. We are therefore in compliance. A ban scenario like what happened in Mali does not concern us," Adjoka concludes.
For more information:
Joel Adjoka
Cofruibo & Mango Fresh
Tel: +225 03 08 10 68
Email: [email protected]
