After a season in which Peruvian mango exports fell by nearly 75% due to abnormal weather influenced by El Niño and the passage of Cyclone Yaku, the sector hopes to recover in the upcoming campaign, which will start around week 45 and will last, as usual, until approximately week 13. Frutas de Piura S.A.C., a company located in the north of Peru and devoted already for 14 years to the production, processing and export of mangoes, grapes and bananas, is sparing no effort in field management with the goal of ensuring that, unlike last year, the flowering will thrive next August.
Last year the mango harvest was 75% smaller due to El Niño.
Frutas de Piura works with 600 hectares of mangoes, including its own and those from its associated producers. Peruvian mango crops are located in the north of the country, with 75% of the acreage in the province of Piura and the rest in Olmos, Motupe and Casma. In Piura, 80% of mango producers own an area that does not exceed 10 hectares. The predominant variety is the Kent, which accounts for 90% of Peru's total acreage. The remaining 10% corresponds to varieties that are marketed locally or are intended for the processing industry, particularly the Edward, according to César Morocho Marchán, general director of Frutas de Piura.
Regarding Asian destinations, the Japanese market is an attractive option due to the good price level for the product shipped by air.
The added value of the National Mango Board
Of the shipments going abroad, 60% goes to Europe, 33% to the US and the rest to Asia and LATAM. "The Chinese market is certainly an option for Peruvian mangoes, but the sea transit time of around 45 days can be a problem. Currently, the fruit leaves from the port of Paita, although in the near future we hope to have new maritime routes from the port of Chancay, which will reduce the shipping time by 10 days. However, promotions will be needed to stimulate the consumption of Peruvian mangoes in China, especially in December and January, which are the peak months in our commercial window, since the Chinese demand only tends to increase on the eve of the New Year, which falls between January 20 and February 15 each year," says César Morocho.
"In reality, we have a special commercial window. Peruvian mango arrives on the market after the Ecuadorian supply and before that of Mexico and Central America. And while we ship most of it to Europe, the US market gives us the advantage of an annual consumption growth estimated at 3-4%, mainly thanks to the excellent promotional work of the National Mango Board (NMB). In fact, a similar entity in Europe would be needed to increase the consumption levels of this healthy and tasty fruit among European consumers," says César Morocho, who himself was a member of the NMB Council a few years ago.
César Morocho Marchán, general director of Frutas de Piura: Promotional work will be necessary in order to stimulate the consumption of Peruvian mangoes in China.
The supply needs to be properly organized
In 2022, Peru shipped a total of 241,182 tons of mangoes to foreign markets and ranked second in the ranking of the world's main mango exporting countries, only behind Mexico (447,502 tons) and ahead of countries such as Brazil (231,874 tons) and India (171,748 tons), according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The acreage, which stood at 35,353 hectares in 2022, had increased by 19% in 5 years.
Last season, Peru exported 2,600 containers to overseas markets, significantly less than the 10,600 containers of the previous season.
"However, a planted area of about 35,000 hectares translates into a production that almost exceeds the current demand in the markets to which the Peruvian sector currently has access. Expanding the acreage uncontrollably could hinder the steady flow of shipments abroad. While there is some room for expansion, thanks to increased consumption in the US and the potential of Asia, especially when the opening of the new port of Chancay, we must be well organized, as too rapid an increase in the production could lead to oversupply in the international market and a consequent drop in prices," warns the general director of Frutas de Piura.
Regarding Asian destinations, the Japanese market is an attractive option due to the good prices paid for the product shipped by air. "For air shipments, a certain level of knowledge and experience is needed. Frutas de Piura used to export mangoes by air to Japan. We no longer do it, but when we did, we used special boxes with a pillow at the bottom, a mesh above the fruit and even a cover to protect the mangoes from sub-zero temperatures during transshipment in Canada," says César Morocho. Just under 10% of the mangoes exported by Frutas de Piura are shipped by air.
Frutas de Piura works with 600 hectares of mango plantations.
Flowering thrives at a temperature of 16ºC
Last season, Peru exported 2,600 containers to overseas markets, far below the 10,600 containers of the previous campaign. "The average temperature in the months of June, July and August was 19ºC, but mangoes need a temperature of 16ºC during the flowering stage. Also, there were problems with fruit rot upon arrival at destination due to a fungal disease caused by high temperatures and high humidity levels. Although there are phytosanitary products that help mitigate the consequences, their use is not allowed for the production intended for the EU market. In a normal season, Frutas de Piura ships an average of about 400 containers; last year, we barely managed to load 80 containers," says César Morocho, adding that the sector is facing this new season with a lot of fear. "We need to adjust the techniques in the field, for example by carrying out a deeper pruning so that the tree's crown will be more open, allowing for greater ventilation."
While there is some room for expansion thanks to the rising consumption in the US and the potential of Asia, we must be well organized, as expansion is happening too quickly.
If the problem of the high temperatures persists in the future, the director of this fruit company in northern Peru says that it may be necessary to plant varieties with a greater resistance to higher temperatures. "For 25 years, we have been doing very well with the Kent variety, but now we'll maybe have to consider other options. In fact, some producers are testing the Australian Calypso variety, but we will have to wait a few years to know if it is a valid option for our area, since mango plants take about three years to yield their first productions. We will wait and see," says César Morocho.
For more information:
César Morocho Marchán
Frutas de Piura S.A.C.
Urban. Miraflores Country Club
Calle las Fucsias Mza AB Lote 25-26. III Etapa
Castilla (Piura), Peru
Tel.: +51 073 631 659
Email: [email protected]