KARACHI: Exporters said that the mango export target for the current year has been slashed to 80,000 tonnes from 100,000 tonnes last year due to mounting pressure from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, soaring freight costs, climate-related challenges and declining fruit yields.

The first shipment of Pakistani mangoes left for international markets on Monday amid the most difficult export season in recent years, according to industry stakeholders. This year’s mango crop is expected to be around 20pc lower than the country’s average annual production of 1.9 million tonnes due to climate change, erratic weather patterns and the weak disease resistance of existing orchards.

Waheed Ahmed, Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA), said exporters are grappling with unprecedented logistical and financial hurdles as regional instability disrupts access to key Gulf markets, the largest destination for Pakistani mangoes.

The decline is expected to significantly impact export earnings. Mango exports fetched $110m last season, but proceeds are projected to fall between $75 and $80m this year.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026