The next Spanish mango season will once again be marked by a significantly low production due to the impact of the weather. It will be the second consecutive year with a low supply in the European markets, and that is starting to cause uncertainty among Spanish growers and exporters.
"Although rainfall in Malaga had a positive impact on the water reserves and on the avocado and mango trees, it negatively affected the fruit set of the mangoes for this coming season. A lot of fruit was aborted and a large share of the production was too small. We are therefore expecting a harvest 60 to 70% below capacity, a result very similar to last year's," says José Antonio Alconchel, CEO of Grupo Alcoaxarquía.
"I believe that Spanish mangoes could be harmed by this, despite all the hard work in recent years to allow them to build a reputation in Europe as a high quality, local product with an interesting market share in October and November," says José Antonio Alconchel. "People fear that, after two years in a row with hardly any production, market trends could change and other origins could take advantage."
According to the head of the company, the reason for this is not a lack of planted acreage. "If the conditions next year are right, we could have a very large production, which we will have to know how to manage."
This summer, therefore, Spanish operators will resort to more imports, as they did last year, mainly from Brazil. According to José Antonio Alconchel, the shortage of Spanish mangoes is not expected to lead to an increase in the demand for air-shipped mangoes. "We are seeing the consumption of more expensive products lagging behind due to the current economic situation. This has already been reflected in tourism in Spain, which has not reached the expected levels."
This has been a difficult year for mangoes, especially due to the production shortage in Peru and exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, as far as avocado is concerned, "we have a market with acceptable prices and good consumption, although it has dropped a little in the last two weeks, as it usually does during the holiday period," says Alconchel.
"We are certainly having a more stable summer than last year and the year before, when there were quite a few difficulties, and we are seeing an increase in the demand for small and medium sizes among consumers seeking more affordable prices. In August, we have continued to load Peruvian avocados, since we have our own farms there and that is allowing us to extend the season further."
For more information:
Alcoaxarquia Group
C/ Juan de Juanes, Parcelas 9-11 - Pol. Ind. La Mata
29700 Vélez-Málaga, Spain
Tel.: +34 951 333 933
www.alcoaxarquia.com