Fewer mangoes from Ecuador could end up on the US market this season if the Ecuadorean and US governments do not reach a new Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPDEA) agreement, which is due to expire shortly.
“If the ATPDEA deal expires before the season starts, the export volume to Europe and other destinations could increase as suppliers try to find reliable importers in order to mitigate the potential higher cost in the US market,” Bernardo Malo of the Ecuadorean Mango Foundation (Fundación Mango) told Fruitnet.com.
The industry is preparing for a similar output in volume to last season, when around 9m cartons of mangoes were shipped worldwide.
Despite it still being too early to forecast accurate figures for 2011/12, Malo explained to Fruitnet.com that this season’s crop is looking similar to last year.
“At this time, not all the trees have flowered yet so this makes the volume projection somewhat unclear still,” Malo said.
Last season, Ecuador exported around 75 per cent of its mango offer to the US, 10 per cent to Canada, 10 per cent to Europe and 5 per cent to other destinations such as Mexico.
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