Técnicas de Procesamientos de datos

Mango is native to Asia and its origin had been traced to the region of north eastern India and Myanmar (Janick and Paull (eds), 2008). Its cultivation spread initially throughout Asia and then later to Africa. It was introduced to South America

following the colonisation of the continent by European powers from the 17th century onwards. Mango is most commonly eaten fresh, and can be consumed at both an immature and a fully ripe stage. It is a rich source of vitamins and of anti-cancer antioxidants, and has also been put to a variety of medicinal uses (ibid.).

Mango trees vary greatly in size, but can grow to a height of 45 metres. They generally have a broad canopy and the process of flowering and fruitation takes, from seed, between six and ten years (Janick and Paull (eds), 2008). One of the complications in producing mangos commercially is the relatively long waiting period before a tree becomes productive. Typically a tree will reach its optimal level of yearly production, in which it would be able to produce between 140 and 240 kg, between its tenth and twelfth year. Assuming that it is adequately cared for, this level of output can then be maintained for the following twenty years, after which a

significant decline in levels of production begin to take place (Minaya, 1999). A large number of different mango varieties exist and one method of

categorising them is through colour, that is, reds, greens and yellows (Valeriani Vela, 2003). Red varieties tend to be fairly large, examples in this category including some of the most popular export varieties produced in Latin America such as Kent, Haden and Tommy Atkins. An example of a green mango is Amelie, which had its origins in West Africa and has low fibre content. Many examples of yellow mangos come from Asia, for example the Manila Super from the Philippines and Nam Doc Mai from Thailand (ibid.).

90 While many mango varieties exist only a very few are traded internationally, and in general a preference exists for red mangos over the other colours. According to Minaya this is down to lack of knowledge from consumers, and is in many cases reinforced by marketing messages (1999). A further feature is the different tastes in terms of mango sizes. The US consumer is happy to consume both smaller and larger size mangos, while in Europe there is a definite preference for larger size fruit. The emerging Asian markets also share the European preference for larger size. The most important mango importing countries are presented in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1: Mango Importing Countries

Country Imports 2006 ($US millions) % of Total United States 276.12 29 Holland 114.45 12 United Kingdom 82.60 9 France 75.73 8 Germany 51.80 5 Canada 44.54 5 Japan 43.91 5 Hong Kong 40.47 4 China 29.92 3 Belgium 28.99 3 Other countries 153.27 16

Source: COMTRADE (Promperu Internet 1, 2010)

Mangos make up 50% of all tropical fruits produced worldwide (Jedele et al, 2003). Most mangos are consumed internally, and consumption of the fruit is highest in Latin America and South Asia. External demand for mangos is currently increasing, however, as consumers in developed economies become more aware of its attractions as a fruit and more knowledgeable of how they should be stored and eaten. Growing markets exist in the USA and Europe, for example, and increasingly in Asia too. Both worldwide production, and the quantities of fresh mangos traded, have been increasing over the last 10-15 years, therefore.

The figures in Table 4.1 tend to overestimate the importance of Holland. The reason for this is the position of Rotterdam as Europe‟s most important harbour, and therefore a recipient of a high percentage of the mangos imported to Europe as they

91 are transported predominantly by ship. Almost two-thirds, however, of the mangos imported by Holland are then re-exported to other European countries.

In 2005 more than 70 countries were exporters of mangos (Agro Económica, 2008). Latin America is the most important mango exporting region. The majority of imports to the USA come from exports from the countries from this region, Mexico occupying the position of the largest exporter in this case (Jedele et al, 2003). South American countries also export a lot to the European Union, Brazil being the largest exporter in this case. Asia is the second most important mango exporting region of the world after South American, with important exporting countries being Thailand, India, Pakistan and the Philippines (Jedele et al, 2003). Overall, therefore, the vast majority of mango production takes place in developing or emerging economies. While developed economies only have a very limited amount of mango production there are, however, two important exceptions in Israel and Australia (Jedele et al, 2003). The most important mango exporting countries are presented in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2: Mango Exporting Countries

Country Exports 2006 ($US millions) % of Total Mexico 99.35 17 Brazil 87.52 15 Holland 75.60 13 Peru 59.33 10 Pakistan 32.58 6 France 30.12 5 Ecuador 23.10 4 Belgium 20.90 4 Thailand 17.86 3 United States 16.64 3 Other countries 117.64 20

Source: COMTRADE (Promperu Internet 1, 2010)

When analysis is made of the worldwide production of mangos for export an important distinction can be made between countries from the north and those from the south. This can be illustrated through consideration of Table 4.3.

92 Table 4.3: Mango Producing Countries: Months of Seasons

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Mexico Costa Rica Guatemala Pakistan India Israel Philippines S. Africa Brazil Peru Ecuador

Shaded Area: Months when mangos produced for export

(Own elaboration: Adapted from Minaya (1999))

As the above graph illustrates, the seasons for countries in the Southern Hemisphere, which last between August and March, are complemented by those for northern hemisphere countries that occur between April and September (Valeriani Vela, 2003). This helps to illustrate the difference in supply possibilities due to region, as the countries in the south, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and South Africa have a double advantage. Firstly, in terms of competition from other producers, they are producing at a time when those in the north are unable to produce. Secondly, in terms of market opportunities, there are able to produce their fruit at a time when fruit in the north is relatively scarce due to it being the winter season (Minaya, 1999). The implications of this for the Peruvian mango export industry, the main focus of this study, will now be considered in more detail.