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Dubai: Prices of first Pakistani mangoes of season to be high

Heatwave, water scarcity reduce supply of several varieties of the king of fruits

Published: Thu 2 Jun 2022, 10:23 AM

Updated: Mon 6 Jun 2022, 3:49 PM

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The wait is over for Pakistani mangoes as traders and importers say the first consignments of the king of the fruits have arrived in Dubai.

However, they said mango production in the South Asian country is substantially less this year due to a heatwave, water scarcity and climate change.

Some of Pakistan’s most popular mango varieties include Chaunsa, Langra, Sindhri, Anwar Ratool, Dusehri, Saroli, Almas, Fajri and others.

Pakistan is the world’s fifth-largest producer of mangoes after India, China, Thailand and Indonesia, producing around 1.8 million tonnes on average. In 2021, Pakistan exported 125,000 tonnes of mangoes; however, it’s expected that the production will drop by 50 per cent this year.

In addition to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, UK, US, Canada, EU countries, and Singapore are major export destinations for Pakistani mangoes.

“Currently, Sindhri and Almas varieties are being imported in bulk. Then there are Dusehri and Saroli varieties available as well. The next in line are Fajri, Chaunsa, Sunehra, Anwar Ratool etc,” said Mustafa Altaf, managing director of Altaf Hussain Trading Co.

“This year, it’s going to be a challenging season. We are getting reviews from Pakistan that the crop is short between 30 and 50 per cent due to water scarcity and a heatwave. And this will definitely impact the import volume and value also this year,” added Altaf.

Due to the high demand and shortage of Pakistani mangoes, importers estimate that they will be costlier by around 10 to 15 per cent this year as compared to 2021.

Waheed Ahmed, head of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association, said mango production is likely to halve this year due to unusually high temperatures; hence, the association has cut its export target by 25,000 tonnes.

Gulraiz Yaseen, managing director of Pakistan Supermarkets Group, said Sindhri, Anwar Ratool, Langra and Siroli varieties are now available in the UAE.

“Anwar Ratool is coming in a smaller size while Chaunsa will be made available in the coming weeks.”

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Yaseen echoed Mustafa Altaf and Waheed Ahmed’s views, saying they’re getting news of the shortage of mangoes in Pakistan this year.

“Price will definitely increase in Dubai because there is very strong demand here for Pakistani mangoes. Inquiries from customers begin well before the season sets in,” added Yaseen.

Despite the shortage of crops, traders said the Pakistan government is looking to increase mango exports this year to improve the country’s dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com



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