Production in Michoacán fell by 37.5 per cent last year, while growers in Sinaloa concerned over delayed flowering
Mango production in 11 municipalities of the Tierra Caliente and Costa regions of Michoacán decreased 37.5 per cent last year due to the effects of climate change.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the third International Mango Congress to be held in Gabriel Zamora, the event organiser, Ramiro Serrato Banderas, said Michoacán produced 50,000 tonnes of mangoes in 2025, down from 80,000 tonnes in 2024.
He cited the higher incidence of pests and diseases such as witches’ broom and fruit flies harm, which caused significant damage to the crop. Witches’ broom is a flowering malformation that can result in losses of up to 50 per cent of production.
Despite mango being one of Michoacán’s most important crops – the state ranking fourth nationally in production with 25,000ha and first in exports to the US – producers complain that they have not been given the same consideration as avocado producers.
Meanwhile, mango producers in southern Sinaloa are facing a period of uncertainty due to a delay in flowering, a crucial factor for the harvest season. Speaking to El Sol de Mazatlán, Porfirio Salas Castillo, a representative of mango growers in Escuinapa, said they have until the first half of March for the different varieties to flower; if this does not occur, they anticipate a serious impact on production, jeopardising more than 10,000 jobs linked to the sector.
Although the Ataulfo variety did flower in December and January, others, such as Tommy, are only showing buds in a few orchards.
Salas pointed out that temperature is a key factor for mango flowering, which requires a combination of cold and warm weather for approximately 15 days, with nights around 10°C and days around 25°C.
“We have more than 20,000 jobs generated by mango production between Escuinapa and El Rosario; if the trees don’t bloom within a month, there won’t be any opportunities after that time,” Salas said.
