Early season exports of mangoes from Mexico have been very light in volume, but that is changing.
In mid-February, Mexican growers had only exported about 1 million pounds of the fruit compared to 1.8 million pounds at the same time a year ago. However, Ciruli Bros. LLC, of Rio Rico, AZ reports the light numbers will not add up to this year’s exports being short.
In fact the opposite is true.
February cold weather and some light rain, which are very unusual this time of the year, have resulted in the slow start to the season.
Volume is now picking up significantly along with larger than normal sizes for the fruit thanks to ample rainfall during the growing season.
Ciruli Bros. now is importing mangoes from Chiapas, Oaxaca and Michoacan.
G-M Produce Sales LLC of Hidalgo, TX, launched its Mexican mango season the week of Feb. 17, and it will continue until September. The company ships all the commercial mango varieties — haden, tommy atkins, kent, keitt and ataulfo.
The Mexican mango harvest for Mission Produce of Oxnard, CA started strong in February and will continue for conventional and organic mangoes until the end of the harvest in September.
Throughout the summer, the company will source honey, haden, tommy atkins, kent and keitt varieties from Mexico.
Good volume on small mangoes is expected by mid-April through June when a lot of packers in the central areas of Jalisco and southern Sinaloa are forecasting a bumper crop.
The southern areas in Michoacán should be in full swing by April and May.
Yellow mangoes will be heavy mid-March through April, with the season out of the southern areas winding down in May.