Over 4.8 lakh kg of mangoes have been processed for exports by Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) between March and June. With almost 1.7 lakh kg, the month of June witnessed the highest movement of mangoes backed by cargo operators, the airport said. Doha received the largest export of about 1.4 lakh kg of mangoes from the city, while the fruits were also imported to countries like London and Singapore.

In the months leading up to June, 43,776 lakh kgs, 1.1 lakh, and 1.5 lakh kgs of the seasonal fruit were processed for exports in March, April and May respectively, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which runs the KIA, said in a statement. Two cargo terminal operators, Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation were involved in carrying out the exports. According to the BIAL, the infrastructure of the airport allows perishable fruits to reach their destination such that they remain fresh. “Mangoes are stored and moved to the aircraft within the required temperature range, reducing waiting time at terminals,” BIAL said. 

Earlier, during the onset of the mango season in 2021, exports from Karnataka were expected to dip owing to high cargo rates. In addition to the pandemic, the numbers were expected to decrease in south India due to unusual flowering in orchards, according to a report in The Indian Express. 

Traditionally, Karnataka is among the top mango growers in India, cultivating the crop on over 1.68 lakh hectares in 16 districts, such as Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Dharwad and Ramanagara. Badami, Mallika, Neelam, Malgova, Kalapad, Sindhura, Alphanso, Totapuri and other varieties of mangoes are grown in the state. In addition to the countries KIA exported the fruits to, US, UK, Canada, the Gulf countries and Netherlands are among the main mango importers from Karnataka.