The Senegalese mango season began in the third week of May, with the first harvests coming from the central region of the country. Unlike the last three seasons, morale is high among industry stakeholders, and all indicators point to a good season, according to Cheikh Mbake Mboup, president of the Senegalese Interprofessional Mango Association.
Mboup states: "The season began with early mangoes from Casamance, Fatick, and other locations in the center of the country. We are pleased to see that everything is going well so far. In terms of production, flowering and fruiting have been good. On the logistics front, everything is also going smoothly and without congestion. Demand is satisfying, with all exporters in the country active and receiving orders."
"We haven't received any complaints so far, which is a testimony to the good quality this season. We are currently shipping by boat to European countries, which are maintaining satisfactory demand. We have high hopes for the rest of the season, and we believe that we will finally emerge from the difficulties we have encountered over the last two or three seasons," Mboup continues.
Most of the harvest is expected soon in the Niayes region. Mboup says, "It is this region, the Niayes, that accounts for most of the mango orchards. The phytosanitary authorities have already given the green light to start harvesting in certain localities in the region, and the rest will follow gradually by the end of the month. There is a delay in ripening in the region due to a long, cold winter, but this is not a cause for concern."
According to the representative of the industry stakeholders, including producers, exporters, harvest technicians, and processors, the current season has been the subject of extensive preparation efforts. He says, "There has been a lot of discussion about farm-gate prices, and we have been able to reach an agreement between producers and exporters, which will be monitored by authorities. There have also been major efforts to mitigate the problem of fruit flies. We are well prepared, with the support of the government, and are ready with the distribution of more than one million traps across the country."
In recent seasons, Senegalese mango exports have fallen significantly due to climate-related issues. Mboup says, "We have had short seasons, especially last year when the season lasted six weeks instead of the usual 12-16 weeks. There were problems with flowering, a late start, and an early end to the season, compounded by the fruit fly issue. This season, we hope for a different outcome and aim to bounce back with an export target of 30,000 tons."
For more information:
Cheikh Mbake Mboup
Senegalese Interprofessional Mango Association
Tel: +221 77 555 67 09
Email: [email protected]