When George W Bush bit into an Alphonso mango during his 2006 visit to New Delhi when he was US president, he reportedly turned to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said, “This is a hell of a fruit.”The following year, the US lifted its long-standing ban on Indian mango imports, permitting entry of mangoes treated with irradiation. It was the start of the prized fruit’s foray into the US market.Nearly two decades later, there are signs that the market is finally picking up – Indian mangoes are available at retail outlets such Costco for the first time. Earlier this month, a headline in The Wall Street Journal declared. “Americans Will Do Anything to Get Indian Mangoes.” Behind the surge in the demand for the fruit seems to be a switch from promoting the Alphonso variety to the kesar.Americans are going to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on Indian mangoes. “I literally stop whatever I'm doing.” https://t.co/Xc53LYQtMV— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 23, 2026
India produces roughly 40 % of the world’s mangoes, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The fruit’s primary export destinations have been the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kuwait and Qatar.The US receives around 4,000 tonnes of Indian mangoes a year, according to Kaushal Khakhar, the CEO of Mumbai-based Kay Bee Exports, the largest exporter of Indian mangoes in the US.“We handle between a quarter and a third of Indian mangoes that arrive in the US,” he said.Khakhar is aware of the headlines the fruit has been generating in this summer season. “The market is real and it is growing but we are very pragmatic that the growth has been par for the course,” he said.During the Covid-19 pandemic, exports to the US came to a halt for two years. Since they resumed in 2023, exports have grown from an estimated 2,500 tonnes to around 4,000 tonnes today, Khakhar said.The news coverage about the demand for Indian mangoes is driven in part by the Indian consulate in Seattle announcing on social media this month that Indian mangoes were available at Costco with a box of four mangoes selling for $19.99.Kesar mangoes from India arrive in Greater Seattle region from 15th May !As a follow up to the Consulate's Indian mango promotion event organized on 10 July 2025, Kesar variety of Indian mangoes will be available, at select Costco locations in Greater Seattle.More details as… pic.twitter.com/Vri3DbLz0M— India In Seattle (@IndiainSeattle) May 12, 2026
