Over the last decade, mangoes have become Burkina Faso's most important fruit tree crop. In this West African country, this sector brings in about €23 million/year. It's the primary source of income for 15,000 farmers and their families. Mangoes' total cultivated area is around 35,000 hectares. On this, farmers grow an average of between 240,000 and 300,000 tons of fresh mangoes annually.
The south-western region of Hauts-Bassins supplies more than half of the national mango production. But Burkina Faso doesn't only produce fresh mangoes. Increasing foreign demand has quadrupled dried mango production since 2014. It now stands at over 3,000 tons. Burkina Faso's mango harvesting season runs from March to August.
The Netherlands is an important export market
Burkina Faso exports three percent of its annual fresh mango production. To Europe, most of it's sent by sea from ports in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Burkina Faso has no ports of its own. The Netherlands and France are their top export markets. Burkina Faso sends roughly a quarter of its fresh mangoes to the Netherlands. They send mainly the Kent, Keitt, and Amélie varieties there.
GLOSAD has 20 years of export experience
The GLOSAD trading company was founded in Burkina Faso in 1999. So, it's been in business for 20 years already. It's based in the capital, Ouagadougou. The company focuses on the local processing and export of organically grown mangoes and cashew nuts to Europe. Joël Baguian is GLOSAD's director-owner.
He says, "We buy fresh, organic mangoes and cashew nuts. These come directly from organically certified farmers and cooperatives. So, we create an important source of income for these small-scale producers and their families." GLOSAD sells most of these goods in Burkina Faso itself. It exports fresh, organic Kent, Amélie, Keitt, Brooks, and Lippens mangoes. Dried and pureed mango exports are also on the rise.
GLOSAD has been active in the French and Belgian markets for many years. But, not in the Netherlands, yet. The company has now partnered with the Dutch trading firm MEYS. MEYS intends to open the Dutch market for GLOSAD's organic products. "GLOSAD's fresh and processed organic mangoes are an interesting product for Dutch importers. These products are excellent value for money," says MEYS's owner, Marco Rensma.
For more information:
Marco Rensma
MEYS Emerging Markets Research
Email: info@meys.eu
Website: www.meys.eu