Spanish mango season ends with lower prices than last year for the smaller sizes

The mango campaign is practically over in the Spanish province of Malaga, and it is finishing with lower prices than last year's average due to the accumulation of small fruit during the peak production period.

"It has been a difficult campaign," said Domingo Medina, president of the Spanish Tropical Association. "The harvest started earlier, as the fruit ripened quicker due to the excess heat. In the first weeks of September there were a lot of small Osteen mangoes due to the lack of rainfall during the fruit's growing period. Many retail chains refused these sizes and pushed the price down.

"In late September, large-scale retailers realized that consumers were accepting these sizes, since the organoleptic quality has been excellent this year. In mid-October, there began to be a shortage of fruit and the demand increased, causing prices to rebound, but this has not prevented average prices from being lower than last year for the small and medium sizes. For the more commercial sizes, prices have been similar to last year's," said Domingo Medina.

This year, the Spanish Tropical Association has launched the Mango de Málaga seal, which has led the main producers and marketers to stand together behind the objective of promoting the quality of Spanish mangoes in the international markets. "This is the first campaign and we haven't yet been able to assess the brand's impact in the markets, but the sector is enthusiastic and it has been well-received by the large retail sector. Most companies have already adhered to the brand," said the president of this entity.

"In November we will have reference prices for Hass avocados"
Regarding the avocado campaign, Domingo Medina said that the harvest is expected to fall by between 25 and 30% compared to last year. "At the moment, we are harvesting the green skin varieties, such as the Bacon and Fuerte, which account for around 10-15% of the Spanish avocado production. Although some Hass avocados have already started to be harvested prematurely, there won't be significant volumes until after mid-November, when we will also have reference prices," he said.

The biggest drop in the avocado production has been recorded in the region of Axarquia, in Malaga, the main avocado producing area in Spain, and to a lesser extent, on the coast of Granada. Although yields are lower this year in all producing areas, the entry into production of young plantations in Cadiz, Huelva and the Region of Valencia are making up somewhat for the huge decline in the Axarquia's volumes.

"The other producing countries of the Mediterranean arc also expect lower productions, especially Israel and Morocco, which are Spain's direct competitors. It remains to be seen how Mexican, Colombian and Chilean exports to Europe will perform, taking into account the logistic situation and the high costs," said Domingo Medina.

For more information:
Asociación Española de Tropicales
Avda. Condado de Huelva, 9,
29740, Torre del Mar, Malaga, Spain