US Mango Market Updates for Q1 of 2022: Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala

Published 2022년 4월 6일

The total mango volume imported into the US for the first quarter of 2022 was approximately 279.5M lbs, a 12% increase from the same period last year. The Q1-2022 growth is a strong sign of the recovery of the US import mango market after a 7% YoY decline in volume in 2021. For FY22, US mango imports are projected to bounce back with a strong market push in the US retail market. By the end of Q1-22, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala are all currently harvesting, packing, and exporting to the US. Except for Peru, the countries have seen significant growth from last year's Q1.

According to the National Mango Board (NMB), in Q1-2022, 279.5M lbs of mangoes were imported into the US, up by 12% from Q1-2021 when 246M lbs were imported. Despite a decline in the 2021 imported volume of 7% YoY, US mango imports are projected to recover this year, as there is a strong market push in the US retail market for the mango season. While Mexico has long been the dominant source of mangos for the US, it decreased its market share in 2021, with Brazil increasing its share.

For Q1-2022, US mango imports have a significant recovery in volume, specifically for those of Mexico origin. However, the most important trend for Q1-22 is the impressive growth that Guatemala and Nicaragua have experienced compared to the same period last year.

Mexico: Significant Q1 Growth, but Oaxacan Production Damaged

The Mexican mango season began in late January and is expected to run until late September, offering different varieties of mango throughout the season such as; Tommy Atkins (40%), Ataulfo/Honey (27%), Kent (19%), and Keitt (11%). For Q1-2022, Mexican mango exports to the US were 23% higher than in Q1-2021. According to the National Mango Board, Mexico shipped 109M lbs in the first three months of 2022, while it shipped 84.6M lbs last year.

According to NMB’s forecast, the 2022 Mexican mango season is projected to have an 8% YoY increase in export volume, for which a solid 23% YoY rise in Q1 has confirmed a recovery from previous seasons. However, it has been reported that the Oaxaca region, one of the main mango-producing states and for which season is currently in full swing, has seen production fall by almost 50%.

According to the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), the state of Oaxaca will decrease mango production by a thousand tons this year as climate change effects have accelerated the ripening of the fruit, causing in some cases, complete damage. Nevertheless, most of these fruits will not be harvested, and some others might only reach the domestic market. The Ataulfo variety will be the most damaged in this case, as it is estimated that 100K mt of Ataulfos will be lost.

In FY2021, Mexico contributed 60.7% of the US mango volume; however, it lost 11.97% in market share, while Brazil increased its market share by 27.76% and contributed 9.7% of the US volume in 2021.

Peru: Season Running Down with YoY Decrease in Volume

The Peruvian mango season began the last week of Oct-2021 and will run until the fourth week of Mar-2022, which is why Peruvian mangoes start running out in Q1. Peru’s main varieties are Kent and Ataulfo/Honey, Kent representing 98% of Peru’s total mango production, with just 2% for Ataulfo. Despite being in the last month of the season, Peruvian mango volumes had a 6% YoY decrease in Q1-22 from Q1-21. According to the National Mango Board, in Q1-22, Peru shipped 136.3M lbs, while in the same quarter last year, it shipped 144.2M lbs.

In the 2020/21 season, Peru had a record-breaking year in volume by exporting 17.5M boxes or 154.4M lbs of fresh mangoes to the US. However, the 2021/22 Peruvian season is projected to be about 7% lower YoY due to the lower supply allocated from Peru to the US. As a global mango exporter, Peru has also focused on developing alternative markets such as Malaysia and China and, at the same time, kept on growing in the European market.

Guatemala: Mango exports expect to have significant growth

The Guatemalan mango season began the last week of Feb-22 and is expected to run until the first week of Jun-22. Currently, at the end of Q1, the season is at its peak. According to the NMB, the volume of mangoes shipped during Q1 of 2022 from Guatemala to the US was 5.4M lbs a 75% increase from last year’s Q1. However, the substantial increase is mainly due to last year’s delay in the Guatemalan season in shipment started in mid-March, while this year, exports started in early February.

The Guatemalan season has been forecast to reach 36M lbs at the end of the season, around 4.1M boxes, a 13% increase from last year's 32M lbs. Furthermore, by entering the US market earlier in the season in February, Guatemalan exports have gained a significant share of the market that usually belongs to Mexico during this time. While in 2021, the Mango export value of Guatemala was USD 9.8M, a 74% YoY increase, the value for 2022 is expected to be even higher with an increase in demand mainly from the US, which accounted for an 81% share of Guatemala's exports in 2021.