Mango, The King of Fruits; And Mango Pulp Industry, A Key Indian Export

Over the years, the mango fruit has become a beloved part of Indian culture and tradition. India is the largest producer of mangoes, making up 51% of the world’s total production in 2022. Broadly, the peak mango season in India is from April to July in the southwest and moves to the northern regions in the months of June & July.

The mango crop this year has registered decreased yield in certain regions owing to climate change and resulted in increased prices of some varieties. Urvara Krsi manages an Alphonso mango farm in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, where we noticed a drop in the first flush of flowers, leading to lower yields and a delay in fruiting.

There is a mango shortage, especially of the Alphonso & Totapuri varieties which are also used in mango pulp processing, sending upward the prices of these varieties.

India is home to about 1,000 varieties of mango, though only a few are commercially cultivated. The well-known commercial ones are Banganapalli, Suvarnarekha, Neelum, Kesar, Alphonso, Chausa, Dashehari, Langra, Totapuri, Fazli, and Pairi. The fruit has a unique and wonderful taste, and is a warehouse of potassium, beta-carotene, and antioxidants.

India is also a prominent exporter of fresh mangoes to the world. We now have GI-certified varieties of Mango. Geographical Indication (GI) tags verify the product’s origin and act as a certification for better pricing in exports.

The country exported over 21,000 MT of fresh mangoes worth over Rs. 271 crores ($36 million) last year. Major export destinations (2020-21) are UAE, UK, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. This year, the Government has secured USDA approval to restart mango exports to USA.

While this will of course result in higher export of the fruit in 2022, the export of mango pulp is also expected to increase by 20% to 145,000 tons.

Mango pulp, also known as mango puree, is a smooth and thick substance made by breaking up the insoluble fibrous sections of ripe mangoes. Fully ripened mangoes are carefully sorted and processed into pulp that naturally retains all the nutrients, sweetness, and flavour in the fresh fruit.

The mango processing industry in India is well-equipped with advanced manufacturing facilities to serve and handle the demand of export markets. The fruit juice sector is the major user of mango pulp.

The mango pulp production process is broken up into several distinct operations, including procurement, ripening, cleaning, peeling, pulp extraction, stone removal, pulp boiling, can filling, sealing, and labelling. In case of aseptic products, the pulp is sterilised and packed in aseptic bags, while frozen pulp is pasteurised and deep-frozen in plate freezers.

Totapuri and Alphonso are the main processed mango varieties, making up 90% of pulp produced. The remaining market share is taken up by Kesar, Sindhura, and Neelam varieties. Though mango is cultivated across all regions of India, mango pulp processing industries are established mostly in the southern and western parts of the country. These regions account for a major portion of exports.

India produces about 350,000 tons of mango pulp each year, accounting for half of the global mango pulp production, and exports to 89+ countries. The country also exports 200,000 tons of mango every year while 150,000 tons are consumed domestically.

In the year 2020-21 (Apr-Nov), India exported pulp worth over $66 million. The top 5 trading partners are Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Netherlands, Kuwait, and Oman. These 5 countries receive over 60% of the total mango pulp export from India.

In 2020, the global processed mango products market was valued at $18.65 Bn and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% to reach $25.55 Bn by 2025. The increase in consumption of processed mango products combined with the preference for natural mango pulp is anticipated to drive growth.

About Urvara Krsi

Urvara Krsi promotes sustainable and environment-conscious cultivation of niche agricultural crops and agroforestry. We engage in the production & supply of high-quality planting stock and technology to farmers, and are a leading agricultural raw material provider to agro-based industries.

Incorporated in 2019, Urvara Krsi currently operates in four states of India: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. We have three (3) main Business verticals, viz. Commercial Agroforestry, Cultivation of Agricultural crops in contract farming models, and Agricultural Consultancy.

Through our B2B consultancy services, we cater to companies looking to enhance their farmer network, strengthen their R&D, and experiment with new crops and geographies by enabling clients to collaborate closely with local communities to identify new crops, launch pilot projects, and set up dedicated, cost-effective cultivation programs.

Urvara Krsi acts as the opportunity bridge between small-holder farmers and industrial buyers exploring new geographies with backward linkages through farmers’ networks.

To partner with Urvara Krsi, or to learn more about what we do, please Contact Us.