Photo: Prasanth M J, CC BY-SA 2.0
The volume of mango imports from India has risen threefold to date this year, according to latest figures from the Ministry of Primary Industries.
New Zealand imported just under 30000 kilogrammes of mango from India in 2022, but this year's figure has already exceeded 100000 kilogrammes, with further imports possible through the end of the month.
Mango season in India usually starts in April and ends around the middle of July after monsoon rains begin.
The Ministry of Primary Industries said the increase in volume could be traced to the resumption of services at a facility treating mangoes headed for New Zealand.
The Maharashtra Agricultural Marketing Board vapour heat treatment facility in Mumbai is one of two entities that have been licensed to treat mangoes for export to New Zealand. The other is Andhra Pradesh Agro Food facility in Tirupati near Chennai.
The ministry said exports from the facility in Mumbai to New Zealand were suspended in July 2020 following the interception of live fruit flies at the border. The suspension was lifted in May this year following a virtual audit in February and then a subsequent in-country audit in April.
"Mangoes imported into New Zealand must meet the requirements in the Import Health Standard and as specified in the bilateral agreement between the two countries," a spokesperson from the ministry said. "These are then inspected on arrival here to check for compliance requirements."
Over the past three months, the facility in Mumbai has treated 87407 kilogrammes of mangoes, which represents about 80 percent of total imports from India to New Zealand.
Despite the overall improvement in trade figures, mango exports from India to New Zealand are still far below those from Latin America.
Peru leads the pack, making up 65.7 percent of overall mango imports to New Zealand to date this year. Mexico comes second with 15.3 percent, followed by Australia at just under 10 percent. India makes up 6.9 percent of total imports.
The South and Central American nations appear to have overtaken Australia as the country's largest sources of mango, with Australia taking the top spot from 2019 to 2022.
