The Spanish mango production will be between 25 and 30% greater this year, according to the Malaga-based cooperative Trops (the largest mango producer in Spain, accounting for around 55% of the total volume from Malaga's Axarquia, the main producing area). It is the largest volume ever for Trops, with the prospect of reaching 13 million kilos this year.
According to Martina Otten, of the commercial department of Trops, the Osteen variety will record the biggest growth, given the entry into production of new plantations, while the acreage of the varieties Kent and Tommy Atkins remains stable and the Keitt variety will record a slight increase. "Although there was full production last year, this year the trees will be loaded again, especially the Osteen, and some producers will sacrifice Tommy Atkins and Kent plantations to plant Osteen," he explains.
The expansion of the mango acreage, however, appears to be slowing down after the boom of the last four years, says Martina. "Mangoes continue to be planted, but there has been a great slowdown, due, among other factors, to the limited access to water resources. Also, producers have realised that a lot has been planted and that prices could suffer."
Nobody knows for sure when the harvest will begin, because many climatic factors could have an impact up until the last minute. While the arrival of the Irvin variety could be delayed by around 10 days, the Osteen may be delayed by no more than 5 days. "So far, it has barely been hot, but as of this week the temperatures have started to rise and everything could change," says Matina Otten.
Everything points to this being a good mango campaign, a year in which Spain will manage to fill a market gap and face less competition from Israel. "It seems that the Israeli production volume will fall by around 25% this campaign, and this will affect both the Keitt and other varieties with colour. If Israel finishes earlier, our campaign could have a good start." The same is happening with Senegal, which Besides being less representative than Israel, will also have less fruit this year."
Although Brazil is able to supply mangoes shipped in containers all year round, Martina points out that their quality is more threatened by the possible presence of fungi, given the influence of rainfall and the long journey, which lasts for more than 3 weeks. "Spanish mango producers are able to offer a product with more quality guarantees due to its proximity to Europe, which is its main market, but this year it seems that Brazil will also have more limited volumes," he says.
The Spanish campaign will start with the first greenhouse Irvin mangoes and will continue with the Tommy Atkins, which are mainly intended for the domestic and Portuguese markets. Then, in the first week of September, the variety harvested will be the Osteen, followed by the Kent in the second half of September and the Keitt in October.
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