Aussies warned to prepare for a mango shortage in the lead up to summer

Australians have been warned there could be fewer mangoes on the shelves this Christmas as farmers urge shoppers not to be put off by potentially higher prices.

Queensland mango growers, who are responsible for more than 40 percent of Australia’s supply, are experiencing significantly lower yields due to a warmer-than-average winter.

Brad Bowen, owner of Sandy Cove Mango Plantation, said the warmer temperatures had led to poor flowering rates across the board, including the popular R2E2 and Kensington Pride varieties, which reported a reduced yield of about 60 percent.

“It’s a combination of a warm winter and a big harvest last year, but this year’s winter hasn’t been cold enough for the trees to fruit,” says Bowen.

“We are certainly concerned.”

Based in northern Queensland, between Bowen and Townsville, he says the lower yields are likely to worry the state’s mango farmers, who have been hoping for a return to normalcy after a challenging 2022-2023 season.

Despite a “massive crop” last summer, Bowen said most farmers lost money due to an oversupply of mangoes.

“It cuts costs and people don’t make money from it,” he said.

“It’s the years when you have to do the best, when you do the worst.”

While lower yields this summer could lead to lower supplies and higher prices, Bowen urged mango enthusiasts to remember that farmers also have to bear operating costs.

“We need to make sure retail costs match the cost of the product, but we don’t make them unaffordable,” he said.

“Ultimately, we should be able to survive so that they can turn around and produce more fruit next year.”

The Bureau of Meteorology Queensland recorded the warmest average winter temperatures since then, which were 2.32 degrees above the average temperature.

Both maximum daytime and minimum temperatures were also among the highest 10 percent of winters since 1910.

The Australian Mangoes industry top group reported that fruit volumes were down year on year in Queensland, which produces about 22,000 tonnes of fruit per year.

The most recent regional update dated August 29 shows growers in Mareeba and Dimbulah reported lower volumes of Kensington Pride mangoes year-over-year.

“The lack of flowers in some Kensington Pride orchards has left some growers with disappointment at the start of the season as they should be expecting fairly large fruit by now, but little or nothing has come of it.

“R2E2s have done well, but may still be a little lower in volume than last year. Keitts and Honey Golds are starting to flower well.’