Mango prices tumble as record harvest floods markets

Mango prices have plunged up to a third year-on-year in Uttar Pradesh, the largest producer of the fruit in the country, amid increased supply, said growers and traders. Prices of the popular Dasehri variety, for instance, have fallen to Rs 40-45 per kg from Rs 60 per kg a year ago.

“This year the mango production in Uttar Pradesh is estimated to be around 35 lakh metric tonnes, as compared to 25 lakh metric tonnes last year. There was 100% flowering of the mango trees, which indicates that the production will be good,” said S Insram Ali, president of the Mango Growers Association of India.

While higher production is one of the reasons for the drop in prices, Ali said the farmers also harvested mangoes early to avoid damage from the early monsoon, as predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department. The weather department had indicated higher than normal monsoon this year in the June-September period.


“It is unlikely that prices will go up in the coming weeks,” Ali said.

In southern India, Totapuri mangoes, which are grown in the Tirupati and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh, have seen a drastic fall in prices as mango pulp makers have not purchased mangoes from farmers. The farmers there also plucked the mangoes in anticipation of the early monsoon.

Totapuri mango farmers are facing losses this season due to low prices and delayed procurement by pulp factories. Despite being the major growing region for Totapuri, pulp factories in Chittoor and Tirupati have not started procurement. Industry representatives cite unsold pulp from last year as the reason, said Sudhir Reddy, a mango trader from Tirupati.

In West Bengal, too, one of the leading mango producing states in the country, prices of mangoes have fallen sharply -- to Rs 45-50 per kg from Rs 80 per kg – for the best quality.

“Production is good this year. Early plucking by the farmers has also resulted in prices falling,” said Prasanta Pal, a mango trader from Kolkata.

In 2024, global mango production totalled 25 million metric tonnes (MT), led by India, which accounted for about half the world’s supply. China (3.8 million MT) and Indonesia (3.6 million MT) were the second and third largest producers. UP accounts for about 20% of India’s mango production.