LUCKNOW: Mango lovers in the country may have to cough up more money this year due to short supply of mangoes for domestic consumption owing to significant crop damage and rising export orders pouring in especially from the UAE, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bangladesh and others.
“Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh which together account for about 2/3rd share in India’s total mango production have recently witnessed nature’s wrath owing to unseasonal rains coupled with hailstorm damaging over 50% crop, which is likely to holdup mango arrivals resulting in upward spiraling of prices,” noted an analysis of India’s national fruit conducted by the Agri-business council of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
“Mango production across India in all likelihood will remain about 15-20% lower than last year’s level of 18 million tonnes (MT) and even the exports are likely to remain muted this year,” said DS Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM while releasing the chamber’s analysis.
Clocking a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 5%, the production of mangoes across India has increased from 13.9 MT in 2007-08 to 18 MT in 2012-13. Besides, the cultivated area and productivity have also grown at a CAGR of 2.6 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively during the aforesaid period. Of over 1,300 varieties of mangoes grown across the world and India alone cultivates over 1,000 varieties of the fruit.
Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh together account for about half of the total mangoes being produced in India with both the states accounting for almost similar share of over 24% each. Karnataka (10%), Bihar (7.6%) and Gujarat are among top five states with high share in mangoes production across India.
Exports of mangoes from India have grown at a CAGR of over 27% during the course of past three years i.e. from over Rs 16,400 lakh in 2010-11 to over Rs 26,700 lakh as of 2012-13. “This has had a significant impact on domestic demand of mangoes thereby leading to rise in their prices.”
UAE is the top most export destination for India’s mangoes accounting for over 61% share followed by the UK (12%) and Saudi Arabia (5%). Qatar, Kuwait and Bangladesh are other leading export destinations for Indian mangoes. Qatar is leading with about 110% CAGR in mango imports from India followed by the USA (88%), Oman (84%), Nepal (70%) and Kuwait (46%) are among top five destinations recording high growth in mangoes exported from India.
Source: Times of India