The Indian mango production is still quite high this season, despite the unseasonal rains in February, Kaushal Khakhar, CEO of Indian fresh produce exporter Kay Bee Exports, states. “As expected, the mango season started very strongly with large volume available and very good fruit quality. Around the middle of the season, some potential challenges can be expected in regards to the volumes being available, due to some unseasonal rains in the month of February. However, the volume should increase again, a few weeks prior to the end of the season.”
A big advantage for Indian mangoes this season, is the significant drop in air freight prices, Khakhar explains. “Since the start of the season at the end of March, the demand has been very high. Not only was this due to the strong volume and quality of the fruits available, but also to the fact that the mangoes are more affordable this year. The air freight rate, which was a major component of the high prices in the past, is currently at its lowest point since the past five years. Consequently, it has become more attractive for customers to choose Indian mangoes over another origin.”
“Our mangoes comply to the food safety standards and regulations of most countries in terms of MRL’s, but also when it comes to country-specific treatment, such as irradiation (US), Hot Water Treatment (EU) or Vapor Heat Treatment (Japan). Apart from these, all our mangoes are Global GAP, BRC Grade A and SMETA/GRASP certified,” Khakhar says. “Although we currently export across the globe, our main markets remain the USA, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, where Indian mangoes are well-established. In other countries such as Europe or Australia, we are increasing our market share year-on-year.”
The production has been so strong, that Khakhar expects to double the volumes of the 2022 season: “The unseasonal rains during the month of February have led to a small crunch in the volume available around the middle of the mango season. It’s expected that the volume will increase again soon. We are on target to clock double the volume of the 2022 season. Indeed, while last year was the first year since Covid that Indian exporters were allowed to restart mango shipments to the USA, the volume this year has drastically increased. Moreover, we have fixed programs with various major retailers, who will be listing the Alphonso followed by the Kesar mango until the end of the season in June. Moreover, the lower air-freight costs have favourably helped our customers opt for long and high-volume programs.”
Khakhar doesn’t think there will be a lot of trouble ahead, which means Kay Bee can focus on delivering their promises to the clients: “We do not foresee any significant challenges for the season. We do take pride in maintaining high service levels for our clients. This is why we focus our efforts to ensure that our customers get an uninterrupted supply and consistent quality of fruits all through the two months of the season, with a timely delivery,” he concludes.
For more information:
Kay Bee Exports
Tel: +91 88 79 000 973
Email: [email protected]
www.kaybeeexports.com