With an ever-growing range of mangoes arriving in Qatar from different parts of the world, lovers of the fruit have a lot to savour right now.
Retail outlets, especially some of the bigger hypermarkets, are offering a wide variety of mangoes from not only the traditional sources of import but also relatively new ones, giving customers more to choose from.
While countries such as India, Pakistan, Thailand, Brazil, Yemen, Bangladesh, Sudan, Sri Lanka, the US, the Philippines and Indonesia are known to be among the major sources for mango traditionally, places like Burkina Faso, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Puerto Rico and Mexico have also emerged as key players in recent years, say trade insiders.
A representative of an import house, which has been involved in the business of mangoes for over 25 years, said the demand for mangoes is "very high" in the country, especially in the summer months when "mouthwatering" varieties arrive in Qatar from different countries. "And, every year, a number of new varieties are added to the familiar ones," he added.
Officials at some of the leading hypermarket groups said close to 75 varieties are available in the market this year.
Retail chains roll out festivals dedicated to the fruit every year in view of the high demand, offering a wide range of mangoes that cater to different tastes and budgets. This year, too, some of them have held - or are currently hosting - mango festivals in the country.
Queries at some stores revealed that the fruit was being sold at prices ranging from QR7/kilo to over QR25/kilo this year. "Some of the more expensive varieties are yet to arrive in the market," said a sales official at a shopping centre.
While India continues to be the main mango provider with dozens of varieties, Sri Lanka, too, has emerged as a major player of late, the insiders point out, adding that another major source in Asia is Thailand.
Asked about the growing popularity of mangoes from relatively new sources in Africa and South America, Abdul Nassar, a trader in the local market, said importers in the Gulf countries started looking for new sources of import as adverse weather hit supplies from some of the traditional markets, especially in south Asia.
"Next year, there could be even more additions to the list of countries from where mangoes are imported," he said, stressing that African countries could emerge as major players in the coming years.
With more options to choose from, consumers are not complaining. "It's always better to have greater variety. Some people don't mind exploring new types of mangoes from different countries, going beyond what they usually like," said a resident.