Pakistan's mango exports shrink as Middle East war impacts linger

In Pakistan's sunny southern farmlands, workers are busy picking mangoes from tree branches and tossing them into sacks. But this year, far fewer of those mangoes will be shipped to buyers in other countries. A war in the Middle East has made it much harder and more expensive to export the fruit. Traders say mango export sales could drop by at least 30 percent in 2026.

Pakistan is known for growing more than two dozen kinds of mangoes. The country normally earns around US$110 million a year from selling mangoes abroad, making it the world's fourth-largest mango exporter. In South Asia, the mango is even called the 'king of fruits' because so many people love it. However, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has put that title — and those earnings — under serious threat.

About 80 percent of Pakistan's mango exports go to the Gulf region, Iran, and Afghanistan. All three of those areas have been hit hard by conflict in recent months. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been closed, stopping hundreds of trucks loaded with goods from getting through. Fighting in the region has also blocked a key shipping route called the Strait of Hormuz, which pushed up energy prices and made sea shipping far more expensive.

The rise in shipping costs has been dramatic. In 2025, it cost about US$1,400 to ship a large container holding 25,000 kilograms of mangoes. By 2026, that same shipment now costs between US$6,000 and US$7,000. Waheed Ahmed, head of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporter Association, said total mango exports are expected to fall from about 110 million kilograms last season to just 80 million kilograms this year.

In the mango-growing town of Tando Allahyar, a farmer named Mohammad Shakeel tends orchards that grow the golden-yellow Sindhri mango. This variety is named after Sindh province and is famous for its rich flavor and juicy flesh. Shakeel said many farmers are struggling so badly that some have walked away from their orchard leases entirely. 'So many losses have been incurred, the contractors have even left their advance money,' he said.

When export sales fall, extra fruit floods into local markets and prices drop. In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, mangoes are now selling for about 200 Pakistani rupees per kilogram — half the price of last year. But even those low prices are not enough to get many people buying. Pakistan's inflation rate jumped to 10 percent in the months after the conflict began, meaning everyday goods cost much more than before.

Shopper Muhammad Ashad noticed the cheap mangoes at an outdoor market in Karachi but said many people still could not afford them. Families are spending more money on basic needs like food staples, fuel, and household goods. As Shakeel put it, people must decide whether to spend their limited money on necessities first. 'Look at the state of the country: Expenses are rising… income is low. Should they buy their bread first or our mangoes?'

A deal to stop fighting between the United States and Iran was announced recently, and Pakistan's government helped mediate that agreement. However, trade experts say it came too late to help the 2026 mango season, which lasts only about three months and began in June. Ahmed warned that 'the main challenges still remain.' Unless peace holds and trade routes reopen, Pakistan's mango farmers and exporters are likely to keep feeling the pressure for some time to come.