March is usually the season when the first aroma of ripening Alphonso mangoes wafts through the orchards of the Konkan belt. In Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of coastal Karnataka, the arrival of the mango season normally signals prosperity. Exporters begin to pack consignments for the Gulf, farmers anticipate good prices and traders prepare for the busiest weeks of the year.

This year, however, the mood in the mango belt is unusually gloomy. Growers and exporters say the war in West Asia has already begun to disrupt trade. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are the biggest buyers of Indian mangoes — in 2024, India exported nearly 12,000 metric tonnes of mangoes to the region. This year, orders have simply not come. A Surat-based fruit exporter summed up the situation bluntly: “Not a single order for mangoes has been received so far. And frankly, there is no hope at least for the next month.”

The anxiety is spreading across the entire mango market. Farmers who grow mangoes mainly for domestic sale are equally worried. Once export demand collapses, they say, the domestic market is flooded with surplus fruit and prices crash.

The mango crisis is only the beginning. Even before the mango season has fully started, watermelon farmers have already been hit by the war’s ripple effects. Export data from 2023 shows India shipped about 2.2 lakh kg watermelon to the Gulf region, particularly during the month of Ramzan, when demand peaks. This year, the numbers tell a different story. Up until March, exports were negligible. Ramzan came and went with virtually no shipments.

Also Read: Iran war stalls exports, hits Maharashtra farmers and traders

For farmers who depend on export-linked crops, the sudden disruption has........

© National Herald