It has been a strange year for mangoes and one that's marked by early harvests. "There's more fruit than last year at this time and it's here much earlier," says Giorgio Ceciarelli of GC Imports. "They all have larger yields and though the seasons will finish as usual."
Brazil: Brazil had a smaller crop this season and there was some hesitation from some shippers to ship product to the U.S. (The U.S. requires a more complicated hot water treatment system to bring mangoes in from Brazil.) That has more shippers trying to send product to Canada.
Peru and Ecuador: Peru began its season early this year while Ecuador often sends more fruit to the U.S. than to Canada. "Ecuador is overlapping with Peru and this year Ecuador has big yields with a lot of fruit," says Ceciarelli. "Prices have come down and the market is strong but slower than it used to be."
Mexico: Mexico has also started its season early. "Normally it starts in the middle to the end of December but it already started shipping Ataulfos a few weeks ago," he says.
Mango demand has been up and down overall. "There are also more varieties in the market that are more expensive from India and Israel. They're selling but they're very specialized varieties," says Ceciarelli.
All of this is leaving pricing stronger right now, particularly on Mexican product and it's anticipated to stay that way until Peru finishes its season. "Mexico is selling mainly to its national market. They are paying high prices on Ataulfos and won't compete with Peru," Ceciarelli says, adding that he expects that in a few weeks, pricing on Mexican mangoes will start to soften.
For more information:
Giorgio Ceciarelli
GC Imports
Tel: +1 (416) 649-5775
[email protected]
www.gcimports.ca