Mango (Mangifera indica Linn) is the most important fruit of India and is known as “King of fruits”. The fruit is cultivated in the largest area i.e. 2,312 thousand ha and the production is around 15.03 million tons, contributing 40.48% of the total world production of mango. The main mango producing states in India are Uttar Pradesh (23.86%), Andhra Pradesh (22.14%), Karnataka (11.71%), Bihar (8.79%), Gujarat (6.00%) and Tamil Nadu (5.09%). Total export of mangoes from India is 59.22 thousand tons, valuing Rs. 162.92 crores during 2010-11. India exports mango to over 40 countries worldwide. The major importing countries of India’s Mangoes during the period of 2010-11 were UAE (61.79%), Bangladesh (11.41%), UK (8.92%), Saudi Arabia(3.79%), Kuwait (2.32%), and Bahrain (2.19%) respectively.
The fruit is very popular with the masses due to its wide range of adaptability, high nutritive value, and richness in variety, delicious taste and excellent flavour. It is a rich source of vitamin A and C. The fruit is consumed raw or ripe. Good mango varieties contain 20% of total soluble sugars. The acid content of ripe desert fruit varies from 0.2 to 0.5 % and protein content is about 1 %. Raw fruits of local varieties of mango trees are used for preparing various traditional products like raw slices in brine, amchur, pickle, murabba, chutney, panhe (sharabat) etc. Presently, the raw fruit of local varieties of mango are used for preparing pickle and raw slices in brine on commercial scale while fruits of Alphonso variety are used for squash in coastal western zone. The wood is used as timber, and dried twigs are used for religious purposes. The mango kernel also contains about 8-10% good quality fat which can be used for saponification. Its starch is used in confectionery industry. Mango also has medicinal uses. The ripe fruit has fattening, diuretic and laxative properties. It helps to increase digestive capacity.
Among internationally traded tropical