The Spanish Tommy Atkins and Osteen mangoes season has just finished and the Keit harvest, which will last until the end of November, has begun. This campaign has been characterized by a drastic decline in production since harvesting began in late August, that, in the case of the Costa del Sol, Malaga, has come to reach between 70 and 80% due to the climatic circumstances that occurred during flowering and when the fruit set. "We could've never imagined such a big volume reduction," explains Carlos Portolés, manager of Tropical Millenium.
"This decline, plus the large number of tropical products operators concentrated in our growing area, has meant that prices are inordinately high," he said. "Furthermore, the Spanish mango is the most demanded in Europe because of its quality, as it can stay longer in the tree since it doesn't have to travel long distances by sea, as in the case of mangoes from Israel or Brazil."
However, if circumstances aren't typical, Carlos said, next season's Spanish mango production will be big, as many mangoes have been planted in many areas in recent year, meaning the mango surface has increased. "Last year we started to notice this increase, which allowed us to enjoy reasonable purchase prices and develop programs with our clients that we couldn't have done before."
Two weeks before the start of the Hass avocado Spanish season
After importing Hass avocados from Peru and South Africa this summer, Tropical Millenium will begin, starting the second week of November. Tropical Millenium harvests and markets Spanish Hass avocados, the variety that is produced the most in Spain and that has a tendency to continue growing when compared with the smooth skin or green varieties as its consumption is also rising, both in Spain and in the rest of Europe.
"This year's Spanish Hass avocado production volumes will be similar to the ones in the last season, their calibre, however, will be much more commercial and they will have a very uniform organoleptic quality," said Carlos Portolés.
"Chile is already exporting its product to Europe, with a significant lack of calibre due to the drought, which will lead to much more aggressive prices."
Founded in 2002 and located on the Costa del Sol, Tropical Millenium is dedicated to the production and marketing of mangoes and avocadoes under the SELECTA and MILLENIUM brands in all types of packages, from boxes to meshes and clam shell trays for two units, containers specifically oriented to the supermarket chains in which they work, mainly in the United Kingdom.
For more information about Tropical Millenium:
Carlos Portolés (Gerente)
T: +34 952 507 240
M: +34 689 023 042
info@tropicalmillenium.com
carlosportoles@tropicalmillenium.com
www.tropicalmillenium.com