With more than 4,000 hectares in La Axarquía and a production volume totaling 36,000 tons in 2018, mangoes are the tropical crop that is experiencing the strongest growth in the Spanish province of Málaga. In fact, Spain already tops the ranking of main mango growers in the EU.
According to the agricultural association Asaja Málaga, mango consumption in Spain has increased by 277% in the last five years, reaching 27,040 tons per year. The fruit's popularity has tripled over the past four years. Consumption has increased from 0.21 grams per inhabitant per year in 2014 to 0.58 grams per inhabitant per year in 2018.
One of the problems with this crop is that growers have mostly bet on a single variety: the Osteen. This means that the harvest from different growers falls in the same period. In the previous campaign, in which a record harvest was achieved, prices at origin fell compared to 2017. According to Asaja, this price drop has been somewhat offset by the increase in consumption.
Although Spain's mango production is still small, the sector is growing constantly, and this is also reflected in the sales figures. According to data from Asaja, Spain was the third largest European importer of mangoes in 2018 (with 35,788 tons, accounting for 10% of all imports). The UK, where the fruit is widely consumed by the Asian population, was second. This country imported 66,678 tons. The Netherlands stood on top with 195,687 tons. The import market is allowing traders from Málaga to supply their European markets all year round, rather than just during the domestic season.
Europe's largest mango suppliers are Brazil (131,025 tons), Peru (98,480 tons) and Cote d'Ivoire (31,218 tonnes).
When it comes to the Spanish market, most mangoes are imported from Brazil (59.8%) and Peru (25.8%). Next in the ranking are Mexico (3.82%), Cote d'Ivoire (3.13%) and Senegal (3.08%).
As for the fruit's marketing within the European Union, Asaja reports that Spain is the second largest mango supplier, accounting for 17.3% of the total. In 2018, Spain imported 35,788 tons of mangoes produced 36,000 tons, so the total volume reached 71,788 tons. Of those, 44,748 tons were re-exported and 27,040 tons went to the domestic market.
Source: diariosur.es
