The weather is already having an impact on the mango for export campaign. According to Cesar Morocho, the president of the Association of Mango Producers and Exporters (APEM), the flowering is not going well because the plants require minimum temperatures of 17 or 18 degrees Celsius to carry out this process. However, they still remain at 20 or 21 degrees Celsius, which is above normal for this season.
"The buds should already be fully grown to flower in June or July. That is not the case now because conditions are too wet due to previous floods. As a result, the flowers have not come out, so it is impossible to make a harvest forecast," he stated. The floods were caused by Cyclone Yaku in the north of the country, where cultivation is concentrated.
According to Angel Gamarra, the president of Promango, a Peruvian association of mango producers, the flowering period will probably start in August. As a result, exports, which should normally start in November, will not start until December or even early next year, which would coincide with the devastating impact of a possible Global El Niño in Peru.
"If there is a Global El Niño phenomenon, Peruvian mangoes will only be exported by air, as it would be very difficult to send them by sea. That is of course very harmful for our sector because the majority of mango exports are shipped by sea," Gamarra stated. According to APEM data, seaborne exports accounted for at least 70% of shipments in the 2022-2023 campaign.
Gamarra estimated that this season, they would probably only produce 70% of what was achieved last year.
"The plantations that are next to Piura River will produce fewer mangoes because there is still stagnant water in several fields. Some areas have already dried up and others are still in the process of recovery, so this year they would not bloom,” he added.
Source: gestion.pe