Despite a relatively slow start for this year’s Mexican mango deal, the 2012 campaign is so far proving better than last year, according to industry sources.
With volume ramping up ever since the delayed start, exports have been running at more than 2.1m cartons ahead of last year’s pace as of the beginning of May.
Barring any interference from tropical storms, the second half of the Mexican mango season (with late fruit from Sinaloa) also looks to be coming together pretty well, and should run through most of September, if not into October.
“So far, things are far better than last year,” Gary Clevenger of Freska Produce International – one of the leading mango marketers in North America, told Americafruit.
“Volume is up significantly but the market continues to be pretty strong.”
According to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) data, FOB prices at the Texas border for both the Haden and Tommy Atkins varieties (9/10 count) were running as much as US$2 per carton higher during March and April compared with the same period in 2011.
The popular, yellow-skinned Ataulfo also averaged US$1 per carton above last year’s level for 14 count fruit.
Clevenger said the price improvements are probably down to National Mango Board’s promotional efforts coupled with more discipline among Mexican suppliers.
“Exporters in Mexico actually quit shipping for several days this spring to support the `US` market,” he explained.
The National Mango Board predicts 54.4m cartons of mangoes will be exported to the US
during 2012 or about 4 per cent less than last season.
The full report will be published in the June/July issue of Americafruit.
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