The African mango season is upon us, prompting Henk van der Meij of Hars&Hagebauer to make his way to the Ivory Coast last week. "And that's always a bit more adventurous than visiting the European and South American farms. (the photo on the right shows the local Ivorian version of a drive-in for fruits and vegetables). But after five days with four nights in various locations, eight malaria pills, a mosquito net, and one bout of diarrhea later, you do get a good sense of the season."
"The Ivorian mango season is clearly a bit delayed. Everyone is talking about climate change, and West Africa is no exception. It has been very warm and due to the lack of rain, there is slightly more fruit than last year. The fruit that is there is still relatively small and needs some more rain to develop into a fully mature product, but the first rain started last weekend."
The heat in March caused quite a bit of fruit to fall to the ground.
"The season will officially start on April 12, which is a bit delayed. It will start with low volumes and I do not expect any significant peaks in the following weeks," continues Henk. Hars&Hagebauer is focusing solely on sea freight for the mangoes. "With air freight, you could start a week earlier, but it really doesn't make sense and is not worth the extra costs."
Before the rains, the trees mostly carry small fruit.
"The current mango market is - contrary to expectations - not so great. Ultimately, larger volumes have arrived from Peru, changing the market from tight to sluggish. The Easter demand has already passed, and with the public holiday on Good Friday in Germany, the mangoes that were sold for Easter are already further along in the supply chain."
For more information:
Henk van der Meij
Hars & Hagebauer BV
Selderijweg 90F
2988 DG Ridderkerk
Tel: +31 (0)180 745100
Henk@harshagebauer.nl
www.harshagebauer.nl