West African Mango Campaign 2020 has begun

SIIM, a key West African mango producer and exporter, has announced the start of the 2020 campaign. The first mangoes, packaged under the Dibra brand from its stations in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, should arrive by the end of this week. In view of the coronavirus crisis, strict sanitary measures have been taken by the states of these countries not only to protect the population, but also to avoid the spread of the virus. Schools have been closed, travel has been strictly limited and curfews have been introduced.

A business continuity plan, specifically developed to manage this crisis within the Omer-Decugis Group, has been rolled out in all its facilities, particularly in all its packing stations in Africa, to protect workers’ health as a priority but also to ensure the safe continuation of operations and the running of the 2020 mango export campaign.

In these unusual times, the 2020 campaign was officially launched on 2 April with the first harvests of the Kent variety, with the first containers arriving in Europe in weeks 17 and 18. For the moment, despite the uncertainty created by the health crisis, the start of the campaign is going exactly as planned. No labour or transport difficulties have been observed. Throughout the campaign, which will last until mid-August, West Africa will become the leading supplier of mangoes to European countries.

The weather conditions during the flowering phase, in particular the water deficit in February and fruit falls following windy spells, suggest a slightly lower production volume than in the previous marketing year. On the other hand, the taste quality of the fruit looks very satisfactory with high sugar levels. All SIIM’s mango (and coconut) production in West Africa is certified by Global G.A.P. and Rainforest Alliance, and audited by the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI).

For the first time, SIIM will be waxing part of its production in order to optimize the preservation of the fruit during transport – a pioneering initiative and an important technical innovation for West Africa.