PERUVIAN MANGO

GENERAL INFORMATION

Peru has a tradition of agriculture. Peru possesses variable climates which allows for
the production of over 300 species of fruits and vegetables.

The mango is considered a prized fruit throughout the world and for a short time it has
been considered an exotic fruit in the Asia, United States and Europe. The mango is
produced in Peru with it’s excellent coastal climatic conditions.

The dry tropical climate permits the production of a fruit with a great flavour without
the sanitary problems associated with heavy tropical rains.

These excellent environmental conditions favour an excellent quality fruit that is greatly
accepted in local markets and for exportation. The high quality of the Peruvian mango
has given it a good reputation and placed it in high demand on world markets.

The production of mangos is concentrated in the northern coastal valleys principally in

the areas of Olmos and Motupe in Lambayeque; the valley of San Lorenzo, Chulucanas,
Tambogrande and Sullana in Piura and Casma in Ancash. The prominent emerging
varieties include Kent, Haden and Tommy Atkins that are destined for export.

These varieties are characterized as having a high quantity of edible pulp (fruit) low
content of fibre, good colour and appearance as well as very good quality and flavour.
It is in demand in international markets.

The Peruvian mango is exported in the following forms: fresh, preserved, and as juice
or drinks. The fresh mango is the primary form in which it is exported.

The period of production begins in November and lasts until February. During this
period there is no production in North America, in particular, Mexico which is the
world’s principal exporter of fresh mangos.

In order to improve the quality of the fruit and comply with international health
regulations, a specific protocol is followed which is given by the National Agricultural
Sanitary Service. (SENASA) in order to prevent the introduction of disease and other
contaminants.

In addition, the Peruvian association of mango exporters (APEM) promotes the

development of the mango industry. This promotion includes improving the methods of
production and harvest, post harvest and the export of Peruvian mangos in order to
obtain a high quality product.

The quality control processes begin in the cultivation phase, during the cultivation they
look for good fertilization and adequate pest control.

The Peruvian mango exporters take great care during the harvest to ensure that the
product arrives at it’s destination in excellent condition.
The common practice is to harvest the fruit when a change in colour from green to
yellow in the peel occurs or when the upper part of the fruit has increased in size.

Afterwards inversion of the fruit is carried out to remove the latex which causes
staining.

The fruit is carefully packaged in a one-coloured plastic container, each package is

rigorously identified by its production code and place of origin. It is brought to a
central warehouse. When it is transported, it is protected from infestation.

In addition, the rules of hygiene are respected in relation to handling tools and water
quality among others, during all phases of the export process.

Before the fruit arrives at the processing plant, an inspector from SENASA conducts
sampling of the fruit in order to identify the presence of fruit fly larva. In this way,
every sixth package is sampled and the inspector performs different transverse cuts on
all of the mango.

If there is no larva present, the product is accepted at the plant. Otherwise, the shipment
is refused and discarded.

Before starting the processing, it is verified that the mangos are mature that the pulp is
at an adequate temperature and the mango is at the approved acceptable average weight.

To do this, the inspector randomly samples the mangos from every load and performs
the measurements.

If the product is shipped by boat and destined for the exportation then a hydrothermic
treatment is performed on the product. It is very carefully controlled by the inspectors
of the Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Services of the Peru Department of
Agriculture.

These inspectors verify the cleanliness and temperature of the water ensuring that the
treatment for the elimination of fruit fly larvae is adequately performed.

In general, shipments follow the international sanitary regulations for export of fresh
fruit. This is monitored from the area of quality control and certified by SENASA.

After the mango has been packed, it is refrigerated to keep it cool. The temperature and
humidity conditions are constantly controlled. This process continues until the product
is shipped.

To transport the mangos from the plant to its destination, the quarantine inspector of the
plant ensures that the processed fruit is moved in containers or closed trucks that are
clean with no insects.

The inspectors of SENASA give the export certification only when all the processing
and post processing requirements have been faithfully fulfilled.
During the final shipment, the palettes are stored and refrigerated in containers that keep
the level of temperature and humidity under control conditions. The plant quarantine
inspector ensures that all the containers are clean with no insects.

The Peruvian mango is mainly exported by boat from the Paita harbour to the United
States, Canada, Netherlands, Spain, France, United Kingdom and China.

The level of investment in the completion of quality and pest control in the fields and in
the processing plant has provided for an increase in the quality of mangos for export.

In addition, the increase in the number of hectares designated for cultivation of mangos
for export is continuing. This increase will satisfy the increase in international demand
and it will generate an increase in employment in northern Peru.

All this is transforming the Peruvian mango into a very high quality product with
excellent flavour with a large acceptance in international markets. Peru is growing into
one of the world’s main mango exporting countries.

Our association has plans to introduce our excellent product into Japan. After five years
of experiments, tests and controls, we are able to offer to japanese consumers a very
high quality product, with great colour, taste and flavour. for our first experience, we
wil offer our mangos as an association.

Juan Carlos Rivera

Manager
Peruvian Mango Growers and Exporters Association