Mexican mangoes have flooded into the US in record numbers this year, as high fruit quality and large amounts of bigger fruit attract importers, although overall shipments this season are still expected to fall below the 42m-box total from last year.
According to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, 2.1m boxes of Mexican mangoes had been imported into the US by the end of February, an increase on the 798,000 boxes during the same period of 2008, The Packer reported.
Daily shipments hit 150,000 boxes for three of last six days in February, Bill Vogel of Tavilla Sales told the publication, well ahead of the biggest days last year which were in the 60,000-box range.
However, William Watson of the National Mango Board said that total shipments for the season could end up being lower, with exporters focusing on quality over quantity and less smaller fruit heaqding to the US.
