The Mexican mango season is about to start, and prospects point to a greater production than in the previous campaign. "We'll start on 8 April and we have already scheduled the first shipment," affirms Nadia Martínez, of BQ Fruits.
"We will ship about 30 to 40 pallets per week. At first, we'll start with 6 pallets per week and we'll gradually increase the volume. If we have enough availability, we should reach 50 pallets per week," she continues. She expects the season to come to an end in August.
Production is expected to increase compared to the previous campaign, which started slowly, without much availability until May-June, but Martínez believes that the peak this season will be recorded much earlier. "We want to start in April with the variety Haden; we will then move on to the Tommy Atkins and we'll finish with the Kent," explains the exporter.
BQ Fruits exports most of its mangoes to the European market, especially Spain, the Netherlands and France. Martínez also mentioned a potential customer in the UK and plans to enter Japan. Since the Peruvian season is coming to an end, their biggest competitor is Senegal, along with other countries, such as Ivory Coast, Brazil and Costa Rica, which supply other mango varieties, but at a lower price.
"Above all, we want to offer high quality to our customers. We want them to know they are paying for a quality product, fresh and ready to eat," explains Martínez. "Rather than competing on prices, I think we compete in quality, in the way we work and, above all, in how much we look after the mango ripening process."
The company wants to seek new markets in the future as Italy and the United Kingdom with the Ataulfo variety. "It is another variety, sweeter and fibrous, but which we believe can also be successful," she concludes.
