Keitt mangoes grown in the Colombian department of Magdalena are already, for the first time, on their way to the European market. These mangoes are, in fact, giving the department the potential to expand its exportable supply, which today consists mainly of bananas, as explained by Iris González Mitchell, commercial director of C.I. Agrícola Las Flores SAS, the company responsible for these first shipments.
"At C.I. Agrícola Las Flores SAS, we have always been looking for new products to export to international markets, given the privileged location of the department of Magdalena, located on the north coast of Colombia, in an area blessed by a tropical dry climate, but with good water sources," says Alvaro Gonzalez, general manager of the firm.
"Some time ago, we already tested the cultivation of sugar and Tommy mangoes, and now the fruit has again sparked our interest, always with the sights set on exporting."
"In April 2017, I attended the Fedemango congress in the city of Santa Marta. Among all the talks, there was quite an interesting one by Dr. Noris Ledesma, who talked about the relevance that Keitt mangoes were gaining in the world when it came to fresh consumption."
"We approached and visited her in Homestead, Florida, USA, in an orchard where she works, which is owned by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. To set up our Keitt mango orchards, she recommended us to collaborate with engineer Oswaldo Mestre, the so-called King of Mangoes. Oswaldo lives in Valledupar and he assists us with regular visits, instructing our staff in mango growing. We launched our first mango orchard and last year we set up the second orchard. We already have about 70 hectares of Keitt mango and the idea is to reach 200 hectares by 2025."
"Since our crops are young, we have been marketing fruit of other producers, especially from the department of Cesar. We are helping these producers in their GlobalG.A.P. certification processes."
"The first exports are being shipped to the German market. The idea is to increase our volumes and reach new destinations every year through the expansion of our own acreage, as well as through alliances with local producers willing to do things properly."
Apart from Keitt mangoes, whose season runs from late March to the end of July, Agrícola Las Flores also offers sugar mango by air to various destinations. "We currently have the only plant in the department of Magdalena authorized by the ICA to pack mangoes for both Europe and the United States," said Alvaro.
"In the period in which we produce Keitt mangoes for the European market, we basically compete with the mangoes from Africa, especially from Cote D'Ivoire. The Peruvian Kent mango harvest has already disappeared from the market, which means that there is a place for Colombian Keitt mangoes in the European market, as well as demand.
"As for baby mango, or sugar mango, it is a niche product that does not really face much competition, because it is an almost unique product which is only produced in our area."
Regarding the development of new forms of agriculture, "we are working with biodigesters that process pig manure and obtain a biol with which we fertilize our crops. We also generate biogas for the cooking of food for the farm workers, and soon we will embark on a process to generate renewable energy based on biogas. The goal of all this is to become more sustainable and environmentally-friendly, and to give rise to a circular economy in which we are able to produce our own fertilizers and generate part of the energy we consume.
For more information:
C.I. Agrícola Las Flores SAS
ventas@agriflores.com
www.agriflores.com