There is no match in the world to the sweetness and fragrance of Indian mango, but this time in the midst of mango season, a bad news has increased the concern of farmers and exporters. First Japan banned Indian mangoes and now Nepal has also adopted the same path. On June 9, 2026, Nepal’s Agriculture Ministry announced that there will be a ban on the import of fresh mangoes from India for the time being. The reason given was the same as was revealed in the case of Japan. So has the quality of Indian mango deteriorated, is its demand from the world ending and what is the real story of this dilemma?

Why did Nepal and Japan ban Indian mangoes?

Nepal imposed this ban after checking Indian mangoes in its capital Kathmandu and other border points. When samples were taken from the consignments and tested, traces of pesticides like carbofuron and cypermethrin were found many times above the standard. Along with this, larvae of Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) were also found.

Nepal’s plant quarantine officials say that fruit fly can destroy their mango, litchi and other fruit crops, so an immediate stop was necessary. At present this ban is temporary, but will continue until India provides concrete evidence of the quality of its consignments.

Japan also imposed a similar ban in June 2024 when insects and pesticides were found in some consignments of Indian mangoes there. However, Japan imposes very strict sanitary-phytosanitary (SPS) rules on fresh fruits imported from any country and Vapor Heat Treatment (VHT) is mandatory there. In the past years, India had once again made a place in the Japanese market by increasing the VHT facility, but once again the lapse in rules overshadowed the exports.

The case of Nepal is also in discussion because it is the nearest and reliable neighboring market of India, from where mangoes go directly by road and its stoppage has a direct impact on small farmers and border states.

India is the world’s largest mango producer, then why are exports less?

These bans may sound small but in reality they point to a big challenge for India. India produces more than 25 million metric tons (25 million tons) of mango annually. This is about 40-45 percent of the world’s total mango production. More than 1,500 varieties are grown in the country and mango plantation is done on about 25 lakh hectares of land.

Despite this, India is able to send only less than 1 percent of its total mango abroad. The remaining 99 percent of mangoes we eat ourselves or are used in processing. In case of fresh mango this figure becomes even less.

The biggest reason for such low exports is that our mangoes do not meet international quality standards. Most mangoes are either grown in an unplanned manner, or are not cleaned properly after harvesting. There are no concrete measures to eliminate pests and there is a lack of supply chain like cold chain. Post-harvest loss also reaches 25-30 percent. On top of that, every country has its own quarantine rules. To send mangoes to countries like America, Japan, South Korea and Australia, they have to go through processes like irradiation or vapor heat treatment.

How much mango does India send abroad and where does this mango go?

If we look at the data of the Ministry of Commerce and APEDA, in 2022-23, India exported about 27,873 metric tons of fresh mangoes, which was worth about 42.98 million US dollars (about Rs 350 crore). In the next year 2023-24, this figure increased slightly and crossed 32,000 metric tons and the earning was close to 55 million dollars. This is a sharp increase compared to the previous five years, but still small in comparison to total production.

Indian mango is sent to more than 80 countries, but the highest consumption is in Gulf countries. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the biggest buyer. After this come Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. In Europe, United Kingdom is an old market for Indian mango and as part of latest efforts, now Germany, Netherlands and France are also importing it. Indian mango made a comeback in America after 2007 and since then the demand for irradiated mango is increasing every year.

Mangoes sent to America mainly pass through the irradiation plant located in Vashi, Maharashtra. South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia are also emerging markets. Recently, the first commercial consignment was sent from Uttar Pradesh to UK, opening the way for new productive areas. Neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have traditionally been consuming mangoes in large quantities, but now Nepal’s ban makes it clear that there will be no compromise on quality.

What is the full economics of mango income?

India exports not only fresh mango but also mango pulp, mango puree, pickle, chutney, slices and juice worth more than $100 million (about Rs 850 crore) annually. According to APEDA, in the last few years, mango pulp export has shown more growth than fresh mango.

Most of the pulp goes to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Netherlands and Bangladesh. But if we talk about fresh mango alone, its turnover in the domestic market is more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which provides employment to crores of farmers, laborers, hawkers, transporters and exporters. Mango is a very important part of India’s agricultural economy, both emotionally and economically.

What are the obstacles in increasing mango exports from India?

The most interesting and slightly sad aspect of the mango story is that we have the best fruit in the world, yet we lag far behind countries like Mexico, Thailand, Brazil and Peru in the global export market. There are 5 big reasons for this:

1. Dispersed structure of farming: Mango cultivation in India is mostly done by small and medium farmers, for whom things like expensive pesticide management technology, global certification and cold storage are like a dream.
2. Lack of quality control: For exportable mangoes, each fruit must be of a certain size, colour, sugar level and insect-free, but we have limited modern facilities for grading and packing.
3. SKht phytosanitary rules: Irradiation or VHT is mandatory for entry in markets like America, Japan and Europe. At present the facility of irradiation is available only in a few places including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Airfares and Logistics: Fresh mango spoils quickly so it has to be shipped by air, which is very expensive. There are few techniques to extend the shelf life of C-Root.
5. Changing weather and pest problems: Unseasonal rains, hailstorms and pests like fruit fly cause losses to farmers every year, which directly impacts the export potential.

Then how are the world’s demands fulfilled and what is the way forward?

In the last three-four years, the government and APEDA together have taken many concrete steps. Under the ‘One District One Product’ scheme, pack houses, VHT plants and cold storage are being established by creating clusters in mango producing districts. Through cluster based export promotion, areas like Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Malihabad (UP), Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) and Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu) are being directly connected to foreign buyers. Apart from Vashi, many irradiation centers are now working in the country. Farmers are being given financial assistance for global and organic certification so that they can grow mangoes without using much chemicals.

Last season, India also sent mangoes to new markets like Mozambique, Bahrain and Slovakia for the first time. Work is being done on ‘Sea-Shipment Protocol’ to send mangoes by sea route, which will reduce the cost and increase exports. Along with this, to deal with bans like Nepal and Japan, the Indian Agriculture Ministry has planned to further strengthen the pesticide residue testing lab and fruit fly monitoring network.