The mango export campaign began on October 20 of last year with high expectations for Peruvian shipments, now, after week 9 of harvest, Peru has already exported 190 thousand tons of the tropical fruit according to Juan Carlos Rivera Ortega the manager of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Peruvian Mango, APEM.

Rivera also reported that the amount of fresh mangoes exported is 8.2% lower than the same amount shipped in the same period of the previous season, which had already reached 207 thousand tons exported and ended the season with 234 thousand tons shipped.

According to APEM, Peru will be able to close the current 2020/2021 campaign with 200 thousand tons of fresh mango exported, which will be obtained until March 28 when the campaign has ended. It should also be noted that 92% of the mango dispatched is of the Kent variety.

One of the requirements to export fresh mangoes to the United States is that the fruits have undergone a hydrothermal treatment and the packing plants that have this system are no longer in operation, so the last weeks of the campaign shipments only have to destination Europe and Chile.

Mango export campaign destinations

So far the main destinations for fresh Peruvian mangoes were Europe (56%), the United States (36%) and 8% went to South Korea, Chile, New Zealand, China, etc.

As the COVID 19 pandemic continues, Rivera commented that the producers took all the necessary steps to guarantee the health of their workers during their days in the field and in the processing plants.

He also added that it was a complete challenge to comply with all the biosafety protocols and that they hope that the next campaign will take place normally thanks to the start of vaccinations.