In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, Sarah Ilyas evaluates the advent of the Indian mango season and studies its implications for the US market. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

India is deemed the land of Mangoes. This succulent fruit, bearing the title of 'king' has around 15 varieties distributed all over India. Each variety possesses a unique aroma, shape and texture. Ranging from the rose-red Gulab Khas to the hook shaped Totapuri, exquisite mango varieties reign the markets from mid-April to August.

Thanks to a recent agreement signed at the 12th India - USA Trade Policy Forum (TPF), these mangoes will be making a debut in the US markets after a hiatus in imports caused by Covid-19.

The graph below displays the Mango volumes imported in 2018 and 2019. The imported volumes typically culminate during the warm months of May and June. According to the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the import of Indian mangoes was halted in 2020 since USDA inspectors were unable to visit India for the inspection of irradiation facilities.

    Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here.

With this agreement in place, India will re-initiate exports to the US markets in March, beginning with the Alphonso variety. This approval might also expedite the approval for exports of other varieties such as Langra, Chausa, Dushehri and Fazli.

The graph below depicts the inflow of mangoes within the last five years. The US market is served primarily by Mexico and an array of Central and South American suppliers such as Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, among others. As can be observed, the highest imported quantity was 69.7 M kg in August 2020. 

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here.

India exported 800 Metric Tonnes (MTs) of mangoes to the USA in 2017-18; the export value of the fruit was USD 2.75 Million, as claimed by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The total projected volume of mango exports from India this year is likely to surpass the volume  recorded prior to the pandemic. The USDA approval would also pave the way for exports from traditional mango production belts such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There is a huge consumer preference for Indian mangoes in general, primarily because of their zesty flavor.

As can be observed below, Mango prices typically hit their nadir in the month of August when the weather is most conducive to their growth. Due to the high intrinsic quality of Indian mangoes, however, average mango prices could increase. According to an industry source, Indian mangoes are sold for three or four times the regular price in the US.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here.

Be it salads, smoothies, curries or pickles, mangoes can be incorporated into a wide array of recipes, owing to their versatility. The Alphonsos Hapoos variety from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra tops the list and is followed by the Kesar and Dashehari varieties from Gujarat and Lucknow, respectively. With the inrush of new and exquisite varieties, it is only a matter of time before mangoes, once again, become a staple in Indian American cuisine.

In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.

All pricing for domestic US produce represents the spot market at Shipping Point (i.e. packing house/climate controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the pricing data represents the spot market at Port of Entry.

You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.