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 importer 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 to 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.
Source: Zawya