After seeing mango exports drop by 30% last year due to the pandemic, Ivory Coast is looking forward to the launch of the new season of the Kent variety in April.
Pascal Nembelessini-Silué, head of Inter-mangue, wants to experience a less stressful season than last year, which had looked so promising. In the end, the country exported 26,000 tons of mangos, which is 30% less than in 2019.
The solution found to fight against fruit flies has allowed part of the 2020 stock to be sold on the local market. The treated products were indeed better preserved, which extended the sale of the fruit until July instead of May.
This year, the market is still shy. Small and medium importers are delaying their orders as much as possible. “The next two weeks will be decisive,” says the head of the inter-profession.
He adds that the country’s challenges remain the same: Ivory Coast needs to work on its yields and invest in processing to absorb losses, as it is done in Mali and Burkina Faso. He also hopes that new market opportunities will open this year.
Source: rfi.fr