India’s prized Alphonso mango crop ruined by weather
By Ashwin Manikandan
DEVGAD, India, May 26 (Reuters) – Mango farmer Komal Walke in India’s western state of Maharashtra is struggling to keep up with orders from India’s online grocery stores after her family’s 3-acre orchard produced almost no Alphonso mangoes this year.
Walke, a 26-year-old gardener in the coastal town of Devgad, had to source fruit from larger farms to keep his father’s business afloat.
“If we can’t fulfill our orders, the big customers won’t come back next year,” he said.
Data from research and rating agency CRISIL showed that India is the world’s largest grower of mangoes, producing 28 million metric tonnes of the fruit by 2024-2025.
Maharashtra is famous for Alphonso mangoes, but officials say hot weather has ruined this year’s crop of the variety known as the “Mango King”.
Bapusaheb Manikrao Lambade, a state agriculture officer in Devgad, one of the top Alphonso growing districts in Maharashtra, said the sharp difference in day and night temperatures in December and January harmed flowering and fruit setting, while in April and May warmer than normal weather spoiled the fruits, probably due to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
El Nino is a climate pattern that changes global weather patterns and can trigger extreme conditions. A strong El Niño is expected this year and is predicted to have a negative impact on crops in Asia, South America and Africa.
A government-backed survey conducted by scientists and field officials earlier this year, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, estimated crop losses in Devgad this year would be between 85% and 90%. The weather conditions also caused losses in mango growing areas elsewhere in the state.
India’s entire mango crop was worth $2.3 billion last year, according to Indian research firm Mordor Intelligence, which expects the market to grow to $3.4 billion by 2031.
While most of the fruit remains in India (mangoes are popular in the scorching summer heat), around $56 million worth of mangoes and $80 million worth of mango pulp were exported in 2025.
Reuters spoke to more than a dozen farmers in Maharashtra, as well as traders, businesses, exporters and government officials, who said losses were severe and production was among the lowest in recent years.
WAR HARMS MANGO TRADE
The weather damage coincided with a decline in exports as a result of the Iran war.
India is one of the world’s largest exporters of mangoes, competing with countries such as Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates, USA, UK, Kuwait and Qatar are among the largest importers of Indian fresh mango.
Shridhar Pathak, co-founder of mango exporter Shreevali Agro, said freight charges have more than doubled and delays or cancellations of shipments to the Gulf, including Dubai and Oman, have reduced its shipments by nearly 40% this year.
He said mangoes originally earmarked for export were instead sent to local markets, and prices had fallen despite the El Niño-related shortage.
This disruption was also reflected in the supply chain and harmed businesses linked to the seasonal mango trade.
Sanjay Nare, a 52-year-old mango carton manufacturer in Malvan, said his factory had unsold stock of around 100,000 boxes this year. It is about 50 km (32 mi) from the coastal town of Devgad.
“The economy of this region is sustained by mangoes and fish,” Nare said. “Without our seasonal mangoes (in summer), we have very little left.” ($1 = 96.4450 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Ashwin Manikandan; Editing by Ira Dugal and Kate Mayberry)
