Normally, the supply of Pakistani mangoes in Switzerland is going at full speed from the middle and the end of June. At present, however, considerable trade bottlenecks are being felt due to the lack of air freight capacity. Accordingly, the prices for the Asian delicacies are also being driven up, says the management of Swiss supplier Mangology AG.
Last year, Pakistani mangos were abundantly available at this time of year, recalls Khan Humayoun Lashkar, the company's site manager in Berne. "In 2019 we received continuous deliveries, but this year we are unfortunately getting far too few supplies to meet the high demand. Due to Corona, there is still only limited air freight capacity, which is why the delivery volumes are significantly lower than last year."
Additional price in trade
This lack of air freight capacity has led to a noticeable bottleneck and corresponding price increases, Khan outlines. "The goods have become very expensive compared to the previous year. At that time, mangos were traded at 5-6 CHF/kg, currently we are at 8-9 CHF/kg. Fortunately, the majority of our wholesale and retail customers are willing to pay this extra price accordingly. Nevertheless, we hope that the freight situation will soon improve."
Demand tends to rise
Mangology AG is a brand of Swipko Import/Export and has wholesale branches in Bern and St. Gallen. The seasonal bestseller of the fruit group have always been Pakistani mangoes, which are offered in attractive packaging throughout Switzerland. Khan: "We are seeing a trend towards increasing demand for our mangos. Our brand is particularly well received by specialist retailers, such as the Zurich wholesale market."
For more information:
SWIPKO Import/Export
Leuenbergerstrasse 10
9000 Sankt Gallen, Schweiz
T: +41 78 938 99 44
M: +41 71 232 2742
mangology@mail.ch
www.mangology.ch