Nigerian mango farmers are positioned to tap into Europe’s fast-growing, multi-billion-naira mango market as production capacity expands and global demand for high-quality tropical fruits surges. Industry projections suggest Nigeria’s mango output could rise to as much as one million metric tons in the coming years, consolidating its status as Africa’s third-largest producer and the world’s 11th largest, amid a steady annual growth rate of about 0.9 per cent.

Despite the rising volume, experts warn that Nigeria continues to face a significant “valuation gap” in international markets. While exporters from countries such as Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire command premium prices in Europe, Nigerian mangoes are often sold at between $1.10 and $1.45 per kilogramme. Analysts attribute the price disparity largely to gaps in specialised export infrastructure and difficulties meeting the stringent phytosanitary standards imposed by the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).

Europe has strengthened its role as the world’s second-largest importer of fresh mangoes, importing nearly 447,000 tons in 2024 alone. The market is currently dominated by fibre-free varieties such as Kent and Keitt, but trade analysts noted that climate-related disruptions, including El Niño-induced yield declines in South America, are opening new windows for West African suppliers. France and the United Kingdom are emerging as the most immediate entry points for Nigerian exporters. France imported about 57,000 tons of mangoes in 2024 and has shown a growing preference for West African produce due to lower shipping costs compared to Latin American suppliers. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, imported approximately 87,000 tons last year, driven in part by a large and diverse ethnic population that demands specific mango varieties.

However, access to European markets comes with strict regulatory requirements. Exporters must comply with international standards on pesticide residues and pest management, particularly fruit flies, which remain a major threat to Nigeria’s export ambitions.

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Prof. Mohammed Atanda, said Nigeria is on the verge of a major economic breakthrough in the global mango trade if it can address technical and processing gaps. According to him, the country’s natural ecology and human capital offer a rare competitive advantage.

“The prospect is large. One resource is natural; the other is human. The natural is that anywhere in this part of the country, anywhere in Nigeria, mango can be grown and it can be cultivated adequately without any hindrance. Mango has a special feature: it is a drought and even forest-rain compliant tree,” Atanda said

Beyond fruit production, he noted that mango cultivation also supports environmental sustainability. “It serves a lot of purposes, such as the fruits and even carbon footprint elimination,” he said, highlighting the crop’s role in climate mitigation.

He further pointed to indigenous mango varieties as a largely untapped export asset. Citing the Ogbomoso variety, Atanda described it as a unique product with strong international appeal. “There is a particular mango variety we call Ogbomoso. It is only in this country you can have that type. It is very juicy, it’s not fibrous, and the brix—that is the sugar level—is adequate. It is peculiar to that Ogbomoso area,” he explained.

Despite Nigeria’s high production ranking, post-harvest losses remain widespread, with large volumes of mangoes often left to waste along roadsides in producing states such as Edo. Atanda attributed this largely to limited energy supply and processing technology, which prevent farmers from capturing more value from the crop.

To address this, he said NIHORT has established a pilot mango juice production plant funded by the Federal Government. The institute is also serving as a technical skills hub under a partnership involving the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme. In addition, NIHORT is supporting farmers with improved seedlings through outstations in Gombe, Kano and Ibadan, with the aim of promoting year-round production through better planning.

“If we plan it well, we can harvest it round the year, depending on the planning and approach. I believe the prospect is so huge because whether there is water or no water, mango will still fruit,” Atanda said.

Chief Executive Officer, Produce Export Development Alliance (PEDA), Aiyeola Adetiloye, said Nigeria’s ambition to become a dominant player in the global mango trade is being constrained primarily by compliance challenges, especially fruit fly infestation. He revealed that despite strong global demand, Nigeria currently exports less than one per cent of its mango production to high-value international markets.

“We receive requests for weekly export shipments from international buyers. Mango is consistently one of the most sought-after products, yet despite the fact that we produce a lot of mangoes in this country, we are only able to export less than one per cent.When it comes to export by sea and by air, it is almost non-existent,” Adetiloye said.

He noted that the global market favours Kent and Keitt varieties, which can be cultivated locally and are valued for their durability and resilience during long-distance shipping. Demand for Nigerian mangoes, both fresh and dried, has risen steadily over the past three years, but he stressed that pest control remains the defining hurdle.

“The challenge we have is that mango export from Nigeria is going through a process of redefining. It really says that we have to be able to control our fruit fly population in order to be compliant. If not, even though the demand is rising year-on-year, we will continue to miss out,”

Stakeholders agree that bridging the gap between harvest and export through improved pest management, infrastructure and adherence to international safety standards will determine whether Nigeria can fully capitalise on Europe’s expanding mango market and translate production strength into export earnings.