The first batch of Bangladeshi mangoes has arrived by air, with accelerated shipments to China starting this month...
On the evening of May 28, 3 tons of "Shishir Shomudra" mangoes from Bangladesh successfully arrived at Changsha Huanghua Airport, and were quickly cleared by Changsha Customs that same night.
As a geographical indication product of Bangladesh, "Shishir Shomudra" means "Sea of Ice and Snow" in Bengali, with pure and delicate flesh, sugar content reaching 18%-22%, and featuring a unique blend of floral and tropical fruit aromas. This differentiated quality positioning precisely matches the increasingly diverse demands of Chinese consumers. The importer, Hunan Babaili Holdings Group, plans to sell through e-commerce platforms, chain supermarkets, and fresh produce channels, with first-year import volume expected to exceed 100 tons.
This season, Bangladesh's mango cultivation area reaches 205,034 hectares, with a target production of 2.7 million tons and planned exports of 5,000 tons, with the Chinese market being a key growth point. Arif ur Rahman, Bangladesh mango production project leader, anticipates that if weather conditions are favorable, exports to China will gradually increase starting from June this year.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh faces two major challenges: first, high transportation costs due to geographical distance, which may affect freshness for this perishable product; second, insufficient brand awareness. Previously, its mangoes primarily targeted Middle Eastern and EU markets, with limited acceptance among Chinese consumers. However, through geographical indication certification and differentiated quality positioning, the product hopes to establish itself in the high-end market.
The entry of Bangladeshi mangoes significantly alters the already competitive landscape of China's imported mango market, with Southeast Asian countries most immediately impacted. Vietnam, China's largest mango import source, exported 40,700 tons in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 97% of total imports. However, due to enhanced Chinese inspection and quarantine standards causing longer clearance times, the acquisition price of Ao mangoes in Khanh Hoa Province plummeted from 25,000 Vietnamese dong/kg to less than 5,000 dong/kg. Compounded by weather-related production declines, farmers have suffered severe losses.
The "Saint Dragon" mangoes from Myanmar's