Mexico's mango season has winded down and the offshore season has started with import volumes increasing week by week. Brazil started shipping in August and until last week, the country had shipped 5.7 million boxes out of a total projected volume of 7.6 million boxes for the season. The country is the fourth largest supplier of mango fruit to the U.S., after Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador. However, last season it ranked third on this list, due to Ecuador and Peru's climate changes affecting their production output for the year. This upcoming season, Brazil is sending more fruit to Europe and shipments to the U.S. are expected to be about 38 percent lower YOY," says Ramon Ojeda, Executive Director of the National Mango Board. "In addition, Ecuador's mango exports to the U.S. started earlier and stronger this season and are projected to be over 160 percent more than 2023." As a result, Brazil is switching its focus to the European market.
Ecuador is expected to play a much bigger role in mango supply to the U.S. market compared to last year. During the 2023-2024 season, the country's mango production was heavily impacted by El Niño weather conditions, resulting in significantly reduced volumes. "Last year, the country shipped about five million boxes of mangos versus 14 million boxes in a normal year," commented Ojeda. This year, Ecuador's campaign is projected to be back to normal with an estimated volume of 14 million boxes coming to the U.S. market.
Peru, the second largest supplier of mangos to the U.S., is also expecting a much better season. Last year, the country saw a reduction of 74 percent in shipped volume as a result of adverse weather conditions. Instead of the 6.1 million boxes that were shipped last year, the country is hoping to be back on track this year with over 23 million boxes expected to be shipped to the U.S. between the second week of October and the first week of March, 2025.
Holiday mango consumption
"The outlook for the South American season is strong and volumes are coming in sooner than initially anticipated," shared Ojeda. Peru is expected to hit the milestone of shipping one million boxes/week around the holiday season. "It's exciting that we will have enough volume available for consumers to incorporate mangos in their holiday dishes," Ojeda added. "In line with our mission to increase mango consumption in the U.S., we have developed a few marketing campaigns that send a clear message to consumers. We will be increasing consumer awareness by marketing the nutritional benefits of mangos and focusing on wellness at the same time." The holidays are the time of year consumers start thinking about their New Year's resolutions and the mango industry will be capitalizing on that with a new campaign focusing on consumer education on the nutritional value of mangos and supporting them in achieving their resolutions.
Mangos will be available for the upcoming holiday season.
Interested in staying up to date on the development of mango shipments from Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru? Sign up here for the National Mango Board's weekly crop report.
For more information:
Ramon Ojeda
National Mango Board
Tel: (+1) 407-629-7318, ext. 102
[email protected]
www.mango.org