Mango exports to be down this year as production drop by 70% in UP

The Dollar Business Bureau

Due to adverse weather conditions, the production of mangoes declined around 70% and mango cultivators have suffered huge losses in Uttar Pradesh this year. Therefore, the exports of ‘king of fruits’ would likely to go down from the state.

“This year mango production will be between 10 lakh tonnes to 15 lakh tonnes only. There is 70% drop in mango production as compared to previous year,” Insram Ali, President of All India Mango Growers Association (AIMGA) told PTI.

Due to low output, the exports of mango from Uttar Pradesh are also negligible as the growers are unable to export it, Ali said.

“Though some growers are exporting it, but overall exports of the fruit will be quite less, he added.

“There was a bumper output of mangoes with around 44 lakh tonnes, last year. But the production has fallen this year by a third,” Ali said.

Due to bumper production last year, the juicy fruit was in the common man’s reach and the prices hovered around Rs.20-40 per kg, but it is hovering over Rs.50 a kg this year.

The major mango producing districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Amroha, Sambhal, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur had witnessed a poor flowering in the current crop season because of which mango lovers overseas had to be disappointed, Ali said.

In the state of Uttar Pradesh, mango production comprises 2.5 lakh hectare. The state produces popular mango varieties such as chausa, langra, dashehri, fazli, mallika, gulab khas and amrapali. The Lucknow belt alone makes up about 30-40% of the overall state's mango production.

In the country, Delhi is the largest market for mangoes from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Punjab.

India exported around 53,177 MT of fresh mangoes worth around $67.21 million during the financial year 2016-17. The major markets for Indian mangoes are the UAE, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United States, according to the statistics by APEDA.

(With inputs from PTI)