India’s ‘King of Mangoes’ Faces Catastrophic Season

Maharashtra’s prized Alphonso mango crop has been devastated this year, with losses estimated at 85–90% in the key growing hub of Devgad. Government officials attribute the damage to sharp temperature swings in December and January that disrupted flowering, followed by intense heat in April and May linked to El Niño weather patterns. Farmers like 26-year-old horticulturist Komal Walke have been forced to source fruit from outside their own orchards just to fulfill standing orders.

The crisis comes at a steep economic cost. India’s mango industry was valued at $2.3 billion last year, with tens of millions of dollars in fresh mangoes and pulp exported annually. This season, however, the domestic supply crunch is being compounded by a sharp drop in exports — freight costs have more than doubled and shipments to Gulf markets have fallen nearly 40%, largely due to disruptions caused by the ongoing Iran war.

The ripple effects are spreading well beyond orchards. Traders, exporters, and ancillary businesses that depend on the mango season are all feeling the strain. In the coastal town of Malvan, one carton manufacturer is sitting on roughly 100,000 unsold boxes. With the regional economy heavily tied to the seasonal fruit trade, communities across Maharashtra’s mango belt are bracing for a difficult year ahead.

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