India produces more mangoes than any country on Earth. Yet in the global export market, it ranks a fourth, behind countries that grow a fraction of what India does.
In a recent deep-dive, wealth advisory firm FinFloww laid out the numbers and the irony: Mexico exports 22.5% of its mangoes and earns $575 million, while India exports a meagre 0.13%, pulling in just $148 million—despite producing over 26 million tons annually.
And here’s where it gets crazier: Mexico started large-scale mango cultivation only 35 years ago. India? Over 4,000 years.
So what’s going wrong?
According to FinFloww’s thread on X, it’s a lethal mix of poor cold chain infrastructure, fragmented farms, regulatory red tape, and mango varieties poorly suited for global markets.
As much as 40% of India’s mango harvest rots before reaching consumers due to a lack of modern storage and transport systems. Meanwhile, countries like Mexico have built export machines—optimized varieties, coordinated farming, and strong institutional support.
But a major disruption may already be underway. FinFloww highlights Mukesh Ambani’s “Aamnagar” project in Jamnagar, where Reliance Industries has quietly built Asia’s largest mango orchard: 600 acres, over 130,000 trees, and more than 200 mango varieties.
By investing in advanced farming methods, global-quality produce, and full vertical integration, Reliance has become one of Asia’s leading mango exporters—if not by value, certainly by vision.
Is this India’s “Jio moment” in agriculture?
FinFloww thinks it might be. Just as Ambani rewired India’s telecom industry, his mango venture could reset the country’s backward agri-export model. Mexico’s success was no accident—it came from specialization (Tommy Atkins, Ataulfo varieties), proactive regulation (via SENASICA), and supply chain mastery. India’s mango market, FinFloww notes, is still stuck in an era of small farms, massive spoilage, and bureaucratic export hurdles.
And time is running out. Global mango demand is booming, projected to hit 65 million metric tons by 2025. Climate change is reshaping growing conditions. India, with all its volume and legacy, risks being left behind.
If Ambani’s model proves scalable, it might just turn Jamnagar into ground zero for India’s long-overdue mango revolution.