There is a shortage of mango in the Netherlands and supply will also remain low for the time being. In Germany the mango supply remains tight, leading to high prices, especially with challenges at the origin, including serious harvest losses in Peru due to El Niño affecting blossom development. In Italy, a decrease in mango buyers is observed, contributing to a slow trade, with high prices persisting until recently. Spain experienced an early end to the mango season, with 30% fewer volumes and complications in the market due to high prices and increased Brazilian stocks.
South Africa anticipates a good mango year, potentially exporting more to the EU and the Middle East due to the gap left by Peru's reduced crop. In North America, sporadic mango supply and delayed shipments are affecting prices, with expectations of a price increase in the near future. Meanwhile, in Peru, the mango situation is dire, with an 80% expected volume decrease, weather-related challenges, and competition from Brazil's lower prices. Finally, in Brazil, although there is strong demand for mangoes, supply is limited due to heat, impacting volumes available for export.
The Netherlands: Shortage in the mango market
"There is currently a shortage in the mango market. It's not a matter of selling but allocating, as all customers would like to place larger orders. The mango supply is expected to remain tight for the time being, as supply issues are anticipated even from Peru," stated a Dutch mango importer.
Belgium: No market balance due to shortages
"Prices are very high for mangoes at the moment. The reason is simply that there are not enough volumes arriving in Europe," explains a Belgian trader. "Peru has problems and there are no other origins to make up the shortage. In addition, the run-up to Christmas is traditionally the time when interest in mangoes peaks. It really is complicated to supply everyone with product. I fear that we will therefore have to continue working with such prices for a while. There is no balance in the market."
Germany: High prices as mangoes remain in short supply
The supply situation for mangoes remains extremely tight. "The European market has softened somewhat in the short term at the current prices, but the challenges at origin are still high. This will become clear at the turn of the year, as soon as the Peruvian season gets going. Due to El Niño, the blossoms in the north have not been able to develop properly, which is why there will be serious harvest losses. The same applies to the south, although the situation here is not expected to be quite as extreme," says a fruit importer.
The current season in Brazil is also characterised by major challenges, such as shipping delays and increased exports to the USA. As a consequence of the resulting bottlenecks, secondary varieties such as Palmer are also increasingly being traded in addition to the standard Kent and Keith mangoes.
Italy: ‘Black November’ for consumption
The mango is one of the best known and most common exotic fruits on Italians' tables. However, the purchase of mangoes remains a niche choice, which in the year ending September 2023 saw a decrease in the number of buyers (a total of more than 3.5 million households - GfK panel data), presumably with a view to saving money.
Until a month ago, prices for mangoes imported by sea were very high, regardless of origin and variety. Since last week in particular, trade has slowed down considerably. "It's been a black November in terms of consumption," says a wholesaler from northern Italy. "Compared to previous years, the purchasing power of consumers has changed, but for all products, not just mangoes. When the market freezes like this, it is obvious that the products that are considered superfluous pay the highest price. In Italy, the mango is considered superfluous."
The situation is similar for mangoes imported by air. "The Peruvian campaign has started and the starting prices look very high for the Kent variety. There is also Brazilian product on the market at a lower price, so the Peruvian mango is a bit under pressure at the moment." The situation will hopefully change in the run-up to the Christmas season, especially after December 8th.
Spain: Season ends one month early, 70% less volumes
The Spanish mango season ended almost a month earlier than usual as it started about 3 weeks earlier and had only around 30% of volumes compared to the previous year. Osteen, the most widely grown variety in Spain, had a 70% production drop while the harvest of the late variety Keitt has been reduced by 30%. The reason for this significant production decrease is due to a bad flowering caused by the high temperatures in spring and summer and possibly to an off year for mango trees after two seasons with full production.
Therefore, it has been a good year for Brazilian mangoes, that are still dominating the European market and supply mainly Palmer mangos to Spain. Since the Spanish season ended the mango market has been complicated, with high process and lower sales. The demand has dropped in the last two weeks as the Brazilian stocks grew in Europe. On the other hand, the Peruvian season will start a month later this year,. Normally it begins in early December but this year it will be at the end of December with a big drop of volumes, especially in the region of Lambayeque, where the harvest is expected to fall 80% compared to last year. There are some air freight arrivals in Spain at very high prices at the moment. In general, Spanish importers expect a production gap from the end of December as Brazil hasn’t planned their crops for the winter time in Europe because they always clash with Peru. That won’t be the case this year, however, with such small Peruvian production expected. Peruvian avocado prices are already sky high on the fields.
South Africa: Exports could benefit from gap left by Peru
A good mango year is expected, perhaps even an above average year in which South Africa will export more to the EU and the Middle East due to the gap left by Peru’s short mango crop. The country is experiencing very high temperatures which could increase sunburn.
There is no official mango crop estimate yet for South Africa.
The harvest is ten to fourteen days later. A little Tommy Atkins is on the market; supplies slightly lower because heat affected fruit set on this cultivars. Crops on the others look good.
The Peruvian mango crop is significantly down, creating an opportunity for South Africa in Europe to regain some of their former mango space. Exports to the EU and the Middle East will start just before Christmas with Tommy Atkins
North America: Mango pricing could pick up in near future
Supply of mango in the U.S. has been sporadic thanks to delays. Last year at this time, mango supply was more abundant and consistent.
Shipping right now from offshore are Tommy Atkins, Ataulfos, Keitts and Kent mangoes and they’re coming from Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. These regions are all affected by El Nino so the growing conditions are not optimal. In addition, the season started late because the trees didn’t bloom. However the season will probably end about the same time, but just be slow and with low volumes.
In terms of demand, even with many competing items on the shelves during the holidays, mango promos have been in place. As for pricing, a few weeks ago prices were higher. However around U.S. Thanksgiving, the supply picked up and the prices dropped. It’s anticipated that they will go up again in about 10 days due to less volume.
Looking ahead, the Mexican season will begin soon and reports indicate that the bloom has been good for the southern region starting up.
Peru: Volume expected to fall 80%
The situation for mangoes in Peru this year has been dramatic. An exporter from the country commented: “Though the volume of fruit in this campaign is expected to fall 80% due to the weather, we are giving everything to ensure volume.”
Volumes to China and the rest of Asia as well as other markets are much lower. Peruvian mangoes also have to compete with Brazil’s lower mango prices the exporter said. The season started later, there is not much flowering in the field while producers and exporters say the input prices of the field are high as well and the demand is not as expected.
Another producer exporter said their first shipment of Edward mangoes was quite a challenge. Due to the lack of flowering and now little fruit on the mango trees they have had to harvest in smaller batches with less workers, but they face the same high costs. Peruvian producers are just hoping the markets will pay them enough to cover the higher costs.
Brazil: Limited supply of mangoes due to heat
Brazilian mango exports of Kent and Palmer and other varieties were in full swing over the past couple of weeks, with lower prices than Peru in some markets. Shipments from Brazil in week 47 to the US market saw good interest with prices remaining high, with strong demand from both domestic and export markets. However, supply is currently limited, with lower volumes available due to the heat in Brazil.
A Brazilian exporter says the US market had high demand due to other supplying countries that had very low supply. While they usually ship to the US from Brazil until week 42, however, with strong prices and high demand, they extended their shipping to week 46 to benefit from the higher prices and meet the demand. There are still other Brazilian exporters who continue to ship to the US, with the market remaining good.
Next week: Global Market Overview Tomatoes!