Mango Imports Soar; Koru Apple Shipments Continue to Increase

Mango Imports Soar; Koru Apple Shipments Continue to Increase

A13Greater mango import volumes year-on-year in the U.S. over this fall  are expected because of overlapping seasons from two exporting South American countries.

Total mango shipments to the U.S. from early October to mid-November are expected to be 92 pecent higher year on year.  The National Mango Board is projecting an increase due to a later season for Brazil and an earlier season for Ecuador.  This would be a significant overlap compared to past years.

Mexican volume projections for the remainder of the season are 8 percent less than a year ago, while Brazilian exports to the U.S. projected to be one percent lower and Ecuador is forecast nine percent higher.

The Brazilian season began in August and will run until the first week of December with a projection of approximately 8 million boxes, while Ecuador’s season began in the first week of September and will run until the end of the year with a projection of around 13.4 million boxes.

Koru Apple Shipments

Koru apple growers in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania are expecting their largest and best harvest this fall.

The branded apple variety originated in New Zealand and is imported to the U.S. from May through September. U.S.-grown Koru apples are marketed from October through March, according to a news release.

Koru apples are managed by Coast to Coast Growers, which has exclusive rights to import and grow Koru in the U.S.

The Koru variety is a cross between fuji and braeburn and was first discovered in New Zealand in 1994. The apple cultivar is Plumac and is registered as Koru after the Maori word that symbolizes “new life, growth, strength and peace,” according to the release.

Coast to Coast uses Chelan Fresh Marketing of Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, Oneonta Starr Ranch of Wenatchee, WA and New York Apple Sales Inc. of Glenmont, N.Y.  to market U.S. Koru apple sales.

The first season for U.S.-grown Koru to be harvested and sold in the U.S was in 2015.