The mango market is nothing to write home about at the moment. "We had a reasonably successful season. But the last two or three weeks have been difficult. This is especially true for Brazilian mangoes," says Henk van der Meij of the Dutch wholesalers, Hars & Hagebauer. "The Brazilian mangoes were of average quality. There were also simply too many. That puts pressure on the entire mango sector."
Taking the ferry from Senegal to the Gambia is always exciting.
Nevertheless, according to the importer, the whole North African season went quite well, thanks to a strong start. "The volumes are drying up quickly now. There will be shipping delays this week again. These delays mean there is no good link with Senegal. This, in turn, will push prices up again," Henk expects.
Photo, right: A border is crossed eight times in a trip that is a few hundred kilometers long.
"We are going to load mostly from Southern Senegal now. The goods first go by truck to Dakar via the Gambia. That means the driver will get eight stamps in his passport. I experienced this myself on my recent trip," explains Henk.
"Anyone who has anything to say about the free movement of goods should take a trip to Africa. In short, there is always something going on, on the mango market," he concludes.
For more information:
Henk van der Meij
Hars & Hagebauer
35 Handelsweg
2988 DB Ridderkerk, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 180 745 100
henk@harshagebauer.nl
www.themangospecialist.com