Latest news with #mangoes
Arab News
25-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistani exporters bank on Middle East to export 125,000 tons of mangoes this season
ISLAMABAD: A leading Pakistani fruits exporters association said on Wednesday it has set an ambitious target of exporting 125,000 tons of mangoes from May to September this year to earn $100 million in revenue, hoping to export 70 percent of these to markets in the Middle East. Pakistan is the world's fourth-largest mango producer, with the fruit's exports generating millions of dollars in revenue annually, according to the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables Export Association (PFVEA). Pakistan's 20 varieties of mangoes come second only to oranges as the most-produced fruit in the country. The country produces around 1,800,000 metric tons of mangoes annually, with 70 percent grown in Punjab, 29 percent in Sindh and 1 percent grown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 'Pakistan is aiming to export 125,000 tons of mangoes this season, 25 percent more than last year's target of 100,000 tons, with exports having started on May 25 and continuing until the end of September,' PFVEA Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed told Arab News. 'We are hoping to export 70 percent of this target to Middle Eastern countries, our largest market, and if achieved, the country is expected to earn an estimated $100 million in foreign exchange,' he added. However, Ahmed warned adverse effects of climate change may impact the amount of mangoes Pakistan produces this year. Pakistan, which has faced irregular weather patterns ranging from heat waves and unusually heavy rains, is frequently ranked among the most adversely affected countries due to climate change effects. Mango production has been on the decline in Pakistan for the past three consecutive years. 'Mango production in Pakistan is consistently declining due to climate change and water scarcity and there is a risk of up to 25 percent reduction in total mango production this year as well,' Ahmed warned. After the projected decline, the PFVEA official said this season's total mango production may come down to around 1.4 million tons 'However, we have increased the export target because we are exporting only 125,000 tons out of the estimated 1.4 million tons, so we remain hopeful of achieving it despite all challenges,' Ahmed said. Ahmed called for interventions such as improved water management, production of climate-resilient mango varieties, research and development and modernization of agriculture and horticulture. He said efforts were underway to boost mango exports to non-traditional markets such as Japan, the United States, South Korea and Australia, with a special focus on expanding exports to Turkiye and China. He noted that regional tensions, particularly Pakistan's conflict with India and the Israel-Iran tensions, have led to higher export costs due to additional charges by shipping companies on Pakistani cargo. 'We urge the Federal Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to intervene and eliminate these extra charges to help improve export competitiveness,' Ahmed said. Farmers and exporters agreed adverse climate conditions had affected not only the volume of production but also the quality of mangoes. 'We have been facing losses due to multiple factors, including low yield and lower-than-expected demand caused by conflicts in the Middle East,' Asif Ahmed, an exporter from Iftikhar Ahmed & Co, told Arab News. Asif, who has been exporting mangoes for over six decades, hoped the Iran-Israel ceasefire would improve the situation and that fruit prices would rise to help cover the losses. 'We have farms in Sindh's Tando Allahyar and Mirpur Khas districts where production was almost around 30 percent less than normal this year,' Asif said. Amjad Hussain, an exporter from Punjab's Multan city, agreed climate change had reduced the size of the mangoes and their quality as well. 'It has affected more than 25 percent of our yield, which will reduce our exports, though the exact figure will be clear by September,' Hussain said.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
It's Indian Mango Season, and the Cutthroat Selling Frenzy Is On
The mangoes were supposed to be here two hours ago. Yakin Shah paced the parking lot of a cargo warehouse at Newark Liberty International Airport, beads of sweat moistening his scruffy beard and clouding his aviator glasses. His fingers clutched a stylus, obsessively swiping his phone for any update that his precious fruit had cleared customs. He awaited 800 boxes of mangoes that had flown in the night before from a warehouse in Pune, India, with a stopover in Dubai. Nearly all had been presold to customers and stores in the area through Swadesi Mangoes, Mr. Shah's side gig when he's not running a convenience store in Kearny, N.J. But when the mangoes finally arrived, he saw that they hadn't been refrigerated. Condensation from the delicate fruit had soaked the perforated boxes, and several had been crushed in the tight confines of the shipping container. The golden kesar mangoes from Gujarat, known for their shiny hue, were discolored and spotted. The Alphonsos, an ultra-sweet breed from Maharashtra, were mushy. The air smelled of sweet nectar and burned rubber, of primal ripeness on the edge — an intimation of the allure and risk involved in bringing India's most prized fruit to its eager diaspora. The business is brutal. Mangoes are fragile, and the window to sell them is vanishingly short. The customers are finicky and demanding. Profit margins are slim. And the competition can be ruthless — nowhere more so than in New Jersey, home to one of the nation's largest populations of Indian immigrants, and to dozens of importers who have turned Indian mango season, which runs from around April to late June, into a free-for-all. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Malay Mail
09-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Sabah man dies after metal rod touches live wire while plucking mangoes in Papar
PAPAR, June 9 — A 42-year-old man died when he was electrocuted after climbing a tree to pluck mangoes in Kampung Bambangan here today. Papar Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) Chief Rozlan Osman said that following an emergency call via MERS999 at 3:01 pm, he dispatched a brigade of eight firefighters to the scene within seven minutes. 'The victim is believed to have climbed the tree and used an iron rod to poke at the mangoes, before the rod came into contact with a nearby electric cable, causing the man to be electrocuted and rendered unconscious on the tree. 'The firemen then proceeded to lower the victim using a ladder and rescue rope after the electricity supply was cut off by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB),' he said when contacted today. The victim was confirmed dead at the scene by a medical officer before being handed over to police for further action. The rescue operation concluded at 4:29 pm. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
08-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Man electrocuted while plucking mangoes with metal rod
Firefighters bringing down a man who was electrocuted while trying to pluck mangoes. (Fire and rescue department pic) KOTA KINABALU : A 42-year-old man died when he was electrocuted while trying to pluck mangoes in Kampung Bambangan, Papar, today. Papar fire and rescue station chief Rozlan Osman said the victim is believed to have climbed the tree and used an iron rod to poke at the mangoes. The rod then came into contact with a nearby electric cable, causing the man to be electrocuted and leaving him unconscious on the tree. 'Firemen proceeded to lower the victim using a ladder and rescue rope after the electricity supply was cut off,' he said when contacted today.
Medical News Today
08-06-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Heart health: A mango a day may lower blood pressure, cholesterol
New research has found that eating mangoes daily may have health benefits in postmenopause. CWP, LLC/Stocksy Postmenopause may increase the risk for certain health conditions, including heart disease. A new study found that eating two servings of mangoes each day may help support postmenopausal heart health by lowering blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol levels. The researchers also discovered that mangoes caused less blood sugar increase, which lowered quicker a few hours after consumption, when compared to eating plain white bread. Postmenopause refers to the time period when a person exits menopause and they do not have their menstrual cycle for at least 12 months. 'Postmenopausal women are one of the least studied groups in the [United States], yet it's a significant hormonal shift that will impact nearly half of the population,' Robert M. Hackman, PhD, research nutritionist in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, told Medical News Today . 'As estrogen declines, women face significant changes in heart and metabolic health, like higher blood pressure and cholesterol.' Hackman is the lead author of a new study recently published in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association — and supported by a research grant from the National Mango Board — that found eating two servings of mangoes each day may help support postmenopausal heart health by lowering blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol levels. Additionally, researchers discovered that mangoes caused less blood sugar increase that lowered quicker a few hours after consumption, when compared to eating plain white bread. For this study, researchers recruited 24 cisgender women between the ages of 50 to 70 who were overweight or obese. Over two weeks, study participants consumed about 1.5 cups of mangoes each day and visited a lab a few times to have measurements for their blood pressure, cholesterol, and other body metrics collected. 'We chose mango because it's a nutrient-dense fruit with fiber, antioxidants, and bioactives that support heart health,' Roberta Holt, PhD, associate researcher in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, and co-author of this study, told MNT . 'Previous studies have shown a positive effect on blood pressure and lipid management with mango consumption.' 'Postmenopausal women face unique cardiovascular risks, and we wanted to see if adding mango to the daily diet could make a measurable difference,' Holt added. 'As someone who's studied diet and vascular health in aging populations, it felt like a natural next step to explore mango's potential in this group.' At the end of the study, researchers found that two hours after eating mangoes, study participants experienced a drop of about 6 points in their systolic blood pressure, and a 2.3 mmHG reduction in their mean arterial pressure . 'Systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure are important indicators of how hard the heart is working to circulate blood,' Hackman explained. 'Even small reductions in these measures can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke over time. So seeing a noticeable drop shortly after eating mangoes, as well as sustained improvements with daily intake, is a promising sign that eating mango daily may help support cardiovascular health in a meaningful way.' 2 weeks of daily mangoes 'Total cholesterol and LDL are key markers linked to heart disease risk. Lowering these levels, even modestly, can have a positive long-term impact on cardiovascular health. The fact that we saw these changes after just two weeks of daily mango consumption suggests it could be a simple, food-based approach to help support better cholesterol management, especially in postmenopausal women.' — Roberta Holt, PhD Researchers also conducted a follow-up study with six participants who were asked to consume about 1.5 cups of mangoes on one lab visit, and about 3 oz of plain white bread on a subsequent visit. Scientists observed that while participants' blood sugar levels rose after eating both foods, it increased significantly less after eating mangoes compared to white bread. Additionally, study participants' insulin levels peaked and declined quickly after eating mango, but remained elevated two hours after eating white bread. 'That finding highlights how not all carbohydrates affect the body the same way. While both mango and white bread contain carbohydrates, mango (leads) to a smaller rise in blood sugar and a quicker return to normal levels,' Holt said. 'That's important because large or prolonged spikes in blood sugar can increase the risk of insulin resistance and other metabolic issues over time. Mangoes, with their fiber and bioactive compounds, may help blunt that response, making them a viable choice for blood sugar management,' he added. MNT had the opportunity to speak with Adedapo Iluyomade, MD, a cardiologist with Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, about this study. 'I was pleasantly surprised that a simple whole-food swap nudged both systolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol downward in just two weeks — results we usually struggle to achieve without medication,' Iluyomade commented. 'At the same time, the serving size (about two mangoes a day) and the small, generally healthy sample mark this as encouraging but not yet practice-changing.' 'Cardiometabolic risk climbs steeply after menopause, yet women remain under-represented in nutrition trials,' he continued. 'Food-based strategies that are easy to adopt can fill the gap between lifestyle advice and pharmacotherapy, giving patients more autonomy and allowing clinicians to personalize care rather than rely on data largely derived from men.' Just mangoes or other fruits, too? 'A longer, randomized study using a realistic one-cup daily serving — and a matched control fruit — would clarify whether the benefits persist and are mango-specific. Adding ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring, insulin sensitivity testing, and gut microbiome profiling in a larger, more diverse cohort would help pin down mechanisms and real-world relevance.' — Adedapo Iluyomade, MD MNT asked Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, for her top tips on how readers can incorporate more mangoes into their diet. The 'king' of fruits 'Mangoes, known as the 'king of fruits' in India, are rich sources of nutrients that support immune and heart health such potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B6, folate, C, and E, as well as phytochemicals such as mangiferin, anthocyanins, gallic acid, and kaempferol to name a few. Some studies have suggested that these phytochemicals are cardio-protective against inflammation, oxidative stress, and support blood vessel health, as well as digestive health from the fiber and natural enzymes.' — Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN For readers interested in trying to incorporate mangoes more often into their diet, Richard suggested a few easy ways: Adding to salads — fruit, greens, or even pasta salads Add to smoothies Puree into salad dressings and marinades, or freeze into Popsicle-like frozen treats or gelato Add to, or substitute for, fruit in a variety of salsa, chutney, and relish recipes Top yogurt, cottage cheese, or ricotta toast Mix with mint or basil to top baked or grilled tilapia, salmon, or flounder Peel and enjoy with a handful of nuts and seeds for a healthy snack Small, peeled portions can be dropped into your juicer to add refreshing sweetness to your favorite vegetable juices Enjoy it by itself as a healthy addition to a balanced breakfast, lunch, or dinner 'Add mangoes to the list of versatile fruits and vegetables that are nutritious, delicious and advantageous to your heart health, and enjoy!,' Richard added.
