Amid West Asia turmoil, Karnataka turns to US, UK mango markets

Bengaluru: Facing trade issues in traditional West Asian markets and crop losses at home, Karnataka’s mango sector is shifting to Western markets, online sales and direct company tie-ups to help farmers get fair prices this season.

Due to flight cancellations and regional tensions in the Gulf, which is usually a major market for the state, Karnataka has instead exported over 183 tonnes of mangoes this year to the US, UK, Australia and Europe.

B C Muddugangadhar, chairman of the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd, told DH, that entering these premium markets requires strict safety checks. While shipments to Europe and the UK are moving smoothly, the US and Australia require “special treatment”.

“The special treatment requires that after the mangoes are packed, they must go through gamma radiation at special centres to clear out any tiny insects before export,” Muddugangadhar explained. He also clarified that Japan has not rejected Indian mangoes, they just want the same strict safety checks as in the US.

India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, contributing nearly 45% of global mango production. India produces nearly 25-26 million tonnes of mangoes annually. Karnataka ranked third in production (2025).

Uttar Pradesh is the leading mango-producing state in the country. Apart from Uttar Pradesh, states such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are major contributors to India’s mango economy.

“In the UK, people mostly eat thick-skinned mangoes from Mexico, Cuba or China, which do not have much taste,” Muddugangadhar said.

“Our Mallika, Kesar and Badami varieties have great potential. Once they taste our authentic Alphonso or Kesar, they will love it,” he added.

Bad weather has caused heavy losses for local growers with production coming down to 10-12 lakh tonnes this year from last year’s 12-14 lakh tonnes. The government is currently working to get emergency relief funds to help affected farmers.

To reduce losses, the Mango Corporation is setting up free, government-run stalls so farmers can sell directly to customers without paying middlemen. This will mainly help farmers in Kolar and Chikkaballapur, the two districts that grow nearly 60% of Karnataka’s mangoes.

Growing farms

Even with this year’s challenges, mango farming in Karnataka is expanding. Ibrahim Maigur, director of the Department of Horticulture, said the state’s total mango farming area grew from 1,39,000 hectares last year to 1,45,000 hectares this year.

“This growth is visible in Koppal, where Kesar mango farming grew from 1,500 hectares to 2,500 hectares,” Maigur said. He added that Kolar and Ramanagara are also seeing more farms.

To make exports easier, T R Vedhamurthy, managing director of the Corporation, said that facilities have been upgraded. The Madikere centre in Chikkaballapur has successfully processed 85 tonnes of mangoes for export and is training women’s self-help groups to make mango bars, pulp and pickles. A brand-new packing and processing centre has also opened this year at Byrapatna in Channapatna to help farmers from the Bengaluru South region sell their fruits globally.