Community & Business
13 September, 2023
Shorter supply of mangoes expected this summer time
THERE are set to be fewer mangoes on the shelves this summer, with a warm winter affecting the flowering process on local mango trees.
Mango trees require a period of cooler weather to initiate the flowering process. However, the unusually warm weather this year has hindered fruit production, leading to expectations of a reduced mango harvest for this season, according to growers.
This has led to a dramatic drop in numbers, with growers predicting a 40% impact on mangoes going from farm to plate.
FNQ Growers chair Joe Moro said as well as the warmer temperatures, there were many reasons why trees were not flowering.
He said every two years, mangoes tended to have an “off-season”, referring to them as “bi-annual fruits”.
“I said at the beginning of the year that if I was a betting man, I would bet this year would be a down season,” he said.
“Generally, the rule is mangoes are biannual, so they tend to have this thing, which means every second they have off.
“The weather probably played a role in it – too much moisture around, and it’s overcast.”
Coming off a heavy season last year, Mr Moro explained every grower will have a different experience this year with their crop, depending on the variety and where the crop is planted.
As a mango farmer himself, he has seen a drop in certain crops across his farm but has also seen parts of the crop flourish.
“Speaking from a broad point of view, if you have a reasonable percentage of product on your tress, it may be good, but if you have got nothing, it’s bad because you have no income,” he said.
“It all depends on the local grower on each farm because there’ll be a mixture of variations – some areas on farms will flower wells, and others won’t.
“It’s hard to answer (how low flowering will affect local growers) because generally, a low production year will see better prices, and that leads to better returns on what you sell, but if you have nothing, you still get nothing.”
