With mango imports from Peru wrapping up last month, shipments of mangos from Mexico have continued at a steady clip.“Volumes from Mexico are a lot higher than what they were at this time last year,” said Gary Clevenger of Freska Produce International. By the end of March, Mexican mango imports had reached 8.2 million boxes, which is over a million more boxes than the 7.0 million boxes of fruit that had been imported by the end of March last year. Clevenger explained that there's no single reason why shipments have come at such a fast pace, but that more trees coming into maturity, better yields and favorable weather have all contributed to plentiful supplies.
“Demand has been very good for the two weeks before Easter,” added Clevenger. “The East Coast was bogged down with bad weather, but that's eased up.” On April 3, prices for a box of Tommy Atkins 6s from Mexico were between $5.00 and $6.00 at Texas crossings, and there was a wider range in prices for Ataulfos, which sold for between $5.50 and $8.00 for a box of size 12 mangos.
“Prices right now are in a normal range,” said Clevenger. “The next big holiday is Cinco de Mayo, and there's usually a gap in supplies when they change regions at that time, so there should be a strong market up to that time.”
For more information:
Gary Clevenger
Freska Produce International
+1 805 650 1040