Mango supplies out of Mexico and into Canada got a slow start this season. “They were delayed because of the weather,” says Maria Cavazos of MC Produce based in Montreal, Quebec. “It would get very very hot and then very very cold. They’ve been having these problems for about two years but this year it was worse.”
In turn, those fluctuating temperatures caused issues within mango production--namely, fruit that wasn’t quite mature falling from the trees or some suffering from anthracnose. “Some growers also didn’t use as much fertilizer on the mango trees and you could see it in some of the product.” All of this meant that while February is usually when shipments begin for MC Produce, instead it was fielding calls for the first time asking for product it didn’t have. In all, Cavazos says volume is cut by about half to date, though now the volumes are starting to increase again.
Varietal demand
Meanwhile, demand is strong, particularly for popular varieties such as Ataulfo. MC Produce is in the midst of moving more into shipping Kents over Tommy Atkins and may not be shipping as many Haden mangoes, a popular variety albeit it an expensive one given the lack of production.
Right now for Ataulfos, 12-14 sizes are $8.25CDN; 16 is $7.75; 18-20s is $6.75; and 22 is $5.50. “Also, we used to load all the sizes but this year, customers are more specific on sizes,” says Cavazos. “I think the prices will be like this until we get more volume. However, the weather in Mexico isn’t helping at all--it’s very cold still.”
For more information:
Maria Cavazos
MC Produce
Tel: +1 (514) 739-5382
maria.cavazos@mcproduceinc.com
http://mcproduceinc.com/