Mango from Senegal, summer flavour
by Market Insider
Tuesday, 23 Jun. 2015
Mango trees were first brought to Senegal at the end of the 19th century although grafting techniques and the first American varieties didn’t crop up before the 1970s and large-scale orchards with export-oriented varieties only started appealing by the end of the 1990s.
The year 2000 has been the turning point for Senegalese mango exports being the beginning of an ever-increasing export towards Europe; in just a few years, Senegal has become the second most important West African source of mangoes, after Ivory Coast.
Senegal’s position on the European export market is ascertained with two very popular varieties: Kent and (to a lesser extent) Keith. The key attractions of Senegal’s mangoes are their bright red colour and excellent taste and the key assets of their export are the proximity of major European and North African consumer markets, preferential logistical access and the fact that their export season is complementary with other West African sources.
Even though Senegal produces mangoes over a six-month period (from April to September), the bulk of exports happens between July and August; most export varieties of Senegalese mangoes are cultivated in a 50-Km-radius northeast of Dakar (the Niayes area) and, going southwards, in the Petite Cote (Mbour), the Sine-Saloum region and the Casamance area which has a major production potential but is hampered by logistical isolation.
Most of the Senegalese mango export production stems from a large network of controlled plantations (more than 300 ha), some large orchards (150 ha) and a significant number of small orchards (from 0,5 to 5 ha); the small orchards do not (if so, very little) undergo pest control treatment or use chemical fertilizers and therefore produce natural mangoes which already benefit (or could do so) of the organic certification.
The large production and export network produces between 30% and 50% of the quantities exported to Europe and around thirty SMEs with their own orchards or collective ones from contracting producers produce the remaining quantities, between 50 and 500 tons each.
The past few years have been marked by the professionalization of the export industry, with both public and private investments in the fields of post-harvest treatment and cold-chain infrastructure as well as achievements in quality control and certification. Practical initiatives have made possible to respond to the major challenges and there has been constant development at the following levels: production and post-harvesting, industry organisation, certification and access to new markets.
The development and communication on the steps to be taken against the fruit fly (a major threat to mangoes in Senegal and the sub-region) has become the object of a major mobilisation of public and private operators. A National System of Control of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) threats has been established to comply with SPS requirements of target markets and more particularly the European Union.
In response to private certification requirements, in particular the GlobaGAP standard, exporters, cooperatives and associations of small producers have also organised support aimed at facilitating traceability through a database geo-referencing the orchards that provides training and updating for operators, which generated as a consequence a rapid increase in certified production.
Exports of mango from Senegal to the Eu totalled 10.247 tons in 2014, in comparison to 8.205 tons in 2013; most exports are sent to the Netherland and Belgium by boat and are largely re-exported to the French and German markets.
Source: Agence Sénégalaise de Promotion des Exportations