Production of the famous Alphonso mango has suffered heavy losses in India's western state of Maharashtra because of adverse weather. Farmers and traders are worried as yields of the variety known as the 'king of mangoes' have fallen.

Komal Walke, a 26-year-old horticulturist in the coastal town of Devgad in Maharashtra, said their three-acre orchard produced almost no Alphonso mangoes this year. To fill orders from online grocery companies, she has had to buy mangoes from larger farms.

"If we cannot supply the orders, the big buyers will not come back next year," she said.

India is the world's largest mango producer. According to research and ratings agency Crisil, the country produced about 28 million tonnes of mangoes in 2024-25.

Agriculture officials in Maharashtra say unusually hot weather this season has severely damaged Alphonso production.

Bapusaheb Manikrao Lambade, an agriculture officer in the Devgad area, said large differences between day and night temperatures in December and January damaged flowering and fruit setting. Then, in April and May, excessive heat linked to El Nino ruined the fruit.

A government-backed survey found Alphonso losses of about 85 to 90 per cent in the Devgad area alone this year. Other mango-growing areas of Maharashtra saw a similar situation.

India's mango industry was worth about $2.3 billion last year, and research firm Mordor Intelligence expects the market to reach $3.4 billion by 2031.

Most of India's mangoes are sold at home, but in 2025 about $56 million worth of mangoes and $80 million worth of mango pulp were exported.

Traders say that on top of the weather damage, exports have also fallen because of the effects of the Iran war.

Shridhar Pathak, co-founder of mango exporter Shrivalli Agro, said transport costs to the Gulf region had more than doubled. With shipments to Dubai and Oman delayed or cancelled, their exports have fallen by about 40 per cent.

Because many mangoes meant for export have had to be sold locally, supply in the market has risen and prices have fallen.

The report is based on Reuters.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.