Andalusia has established itself as the main producing region of tropical fruits in Spain; the micro climate of the Axarquia of Malaga and the Tropical Coast of Granada offer the perfect conditions to grow these fruits that are so coveted in the European market. The mango, which is now in full harvest season and which might break the production record of recent years, is one of the star crops of this fruit sector.
According to the Spanish Association of Tropical Fruits, producer expect to collect some 30,000 tons of mango in Andalusia in this campaign, i.e. almost 25 percent more than last year, when they collected about 22,000 tons.
"We are meeting all forecasts. It is a good campaign, there is more fruit, it has a good quality, and it is being sold reasonably well," said Jose Linares, the president of the Association.
This increase in production is mainly due to the fact that the farms are very young, the trees are growing and are producing more fruit each year. The good weather conditions have also helped the mango have optimal conditions.
Currently there are around 3,200 hectares of this crop and according to the president of the Association of Tropical Fruits, production could double to 60,000 tons in the coming years.
One of the sector's challenges, which slows the growth of this profitable crop, is the scarcity of water in the area.
Farmers are being paid around 1.20 euro for the mango collected during this harvest, which means the campaign will generate direct income of more than 30 million euro.
Even though the consumption of Andalusian mango increases every year in the national market, between 75 and 80 percent of the production is still exported out of Spain.
During the two months of the collection campaign, Andalusia becomes Europe's mango pantry and, although the fruit is marketed in all EU member countries, the main consumers are Germany, France, the Netherlands, and, most recently, Italy. The rest of the year Andalusia sells mango that is imported from other countries, such as Peru, to the European market.
Source: eleconomista.es