Mango exports to Europe grow 71% in eight years
Brazilian mango exports registered growth of 71% between 2018 and 2025, driven by the increased use of technologies in the field and the greater competitiveness of the sector.
Data from ComexStat, from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, show that Brazil shipped a record volume of 291 thousand tons of fruit last year, compared to 170.5 thousand tons in 2018.
The main destination for Brazilian mangoes continues to be Europe, responsible for 78% of foreign purchases in 2025. For the European market alone, exports jumped from 127 thousand tons in 2018 to 226 thousand tons last year, an increase of 78%.
According to sector representatives, one of the factors that contributed to growth was the popularization of the use of the phytoregulator Paclobutrazol (PBZ), a product used to control mango flowering and allow production throughout the year, including in strategic periods for export.
The expansion of access to the product occurred after the entry of new competitors into the Brazilian market, starting in 2018. Before that, only one company officially sold the input in the country, which increased costs for producers for years.
"The farmer can plan and stagger the harvest to take advantage of export windows. The product schedules the plant so that it produces when the market consumes it", said Renato Francischelli, director of Ascenza in Brazil.
The Vale do São Francisco region, the main export hub for the fruit, accounts for between 90% and 95% of Brazilian mango exports. The period of greatest shipments coincides with the second semester and the beginning of the European autumn, when there is less competition from countries such as Spain and Israel.
European consumers prefer varieties with less fiber, known as "spoon mango", such as Keitt, Kent and Palmer. The United States, which accounted for 13% of purchases in 2025, mainly imports the Tommy Atkins variety.
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Francischelli states that, before the increase in competition in the PBZ market, some producers resorted to unregulated products to reduce costs. According to him, the entry of new suppliers allowed a significant drop in input prices and expanded access to technology.
In 2013, Ascenza requested the registration in Brazil of the Paclo BR product, already sold in Europe. Authorization was granted five years later. According to the company, the product arrived on the Brazilian market at a price 62.5% lower than that practiced until then.
In addition to the growth in exports, national mango production also increased during the period. Data from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and projections from Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company) indicate that the harvest went from 1.32 million tons in 2018 to 1.54 million tons in 2025, an increase of around 17%.
Even without tariffs for the entry of Brazilian mangoes into Europe, the sector assesses that the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union could open up space for new commercial opportunities, given the growing demand from European consumers for fruits considered premium and produced with sustainable standards.
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Source: CNN