The mango is slowly conquering European markets. Although it still only holds a small share of the total fresh fruit market, demand for this juicy tropical fruit is growing in almost every EU country.
CBI just published an interesting video about the mango value chain illustrating their efforts to assist the Mali sector to step up to European markets standards. The video can be viewed at: mango value chain video
Since 2002, EU imports of mangos have increased by more than 50%. The Netherlands and France are the leading EU importers. The Netherlands is also an important re-distributor of mangos to the rest of the EU. In terms of consumption markets, the UK and France are very important for mango producers, thanks to their many ethnic minorities who are facilitating market penetration. Other interesting EU markets for mangos are countries historically related to mango-producing countries, like Spain and Portugal. In all of these markets, organic and fair-trade fruits are wanted.
Although originally from southern Asia, the mango today is the second most important fruit – after the banana – in the entire tropical world. Mangoes are not cultivated in the EU, but an extensive trade network does exist within the EU, which is especially interesting for suppliers from developing countries. Unlike bananas or pineapples, fresh mangoes can be supplied by DC producers the year round, as production is spread across the tropics.
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