India’s prized Alphonso mango crop ruined by weather

DEVGAD, India – In India’s western state of Maharashtra, mango farmer Komal Walke is scrambling to meet orders from India’s online grocers after her family’s 1.2ha of orchards produced almost no Alphonso mangoes in 2026.

Ms Walke, a 26-year-old horticulturist in the coastal town of Devgad, has been forced to source fruit from larger farms to keep her father’s business afloat.

“If we don’t deliver on our orders, the big clients will not return next year,” she said.

India is the world’s largest mango grower and produced 28 million tonnes of the fruit in 2024 to 2025, according to data from research and rating agency CRISIL.

Maharashtra is renowned for its Alphonso mangoes, but officials say hotter weather has ruined the 2026 crop of the variety known as the “King of Mangoes”.

A sharp difference in day and night-time temperatures in December and January hurt flowering and fruit setting, while hotter-than-usual weather in April and May, probably due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, then spoilt the fruits themselves, said Mr Bapusaheb Manikrao Lambade, a government agriculture officer in Devgad, one of Maharashtra’s top Alphonso-growing areas.

El Nino is a climate pattern that alters global weather and can trigger extreme conditions. A strong El Nino is expected in 2026 and is forecast to have an adverse effect on crops across Asia, South America and Africa.

A government-backed survey by scientists and field officials earlier in 2026, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, estimates crop losses in Devgad at 85 per cent to 90 per cent for the year.

The weather has also caused losses in mango-growing areas elsewhere in the state. India’s entire mango crop was worth US$2.3 billion (S$2.9 billion) in 2025, according to Indian research firm Mordor Intelligence, which expects the market to grow to US$3.4 billion by 2031.

While much of the fruit stays in India – mangoes are popular during the blistering summer heat – about US$56 million worth of mangoes and US$80 million worth of mango pulp were exported in 2025.

Reuters spoke to more than a dozen farmers in Maharashtra, as well as traders, businesses, exporters and government officials, who said losses had been severe and production was among the lowest in decades.

War hurts mango trade

The weather damage has coincided with a slump in exports as a result of the Iran war.

India is one of the world’s largest exporters of mangoes, competing with countries including Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam.

The United Arab Emirates, the US, Britain, Kuwait and Qatar are among the biggest importers of Indian fresh mangoes.

Mr Shridhar Pathak, co-founder of mango exporter Shreevali Agro, said freight charges had more than doubled, and delays or cancellations of consignments for the Gulf, including Dubai and Oman, had cut his shipments by nearly 40 per cent in 2026.

Mangoes originally earmarked for export have been sent to local markets instead, driving prices down despite the El Nino-linked shortages, he added.

The disruption has rippled across the supply chain, also hurting businesses linked to the seasonal mango trade.

Mr Sanjay Nare, a 52-year-old manufacturer of mango cartons in Malvan, said he had unsold inventory of nearly 100,000 boxes in his factory. The coastal town is about 50km from Devgad.

“The economy in this region is sustained by mangoes and fishes,” Mr Nare said. “Without our seasonal mangoes (in summer), we have very little else.” REUTERS