When Bangladesh secured China's approval to export mangoes during then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Beijing in July 2024, officials hailed the deal as a breakthrough for the country's agricultural exports.

Two years later, Bangladesh has exported only about six tonnes of mangoes to China.

The exports were all trial shipments by a single private company rather than regular commercial trade, according to official data. Exporters and agricultural experts say the Chinese market has proved commercially unviable.

They cite overlapping harvest seasons, low prices in China, high freight costs and strict regulatory requirements as the main obstacles.

Ironically, the optimism of exporting large quantities of mangoes continued even last year. In May 2025, the government projected that China would become a major new market for Bangladeshi mangoes. 

On May 20, at a meeting organised by the Chapainawabganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a representative of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) told journalists that Bangladesh was aiming to export 120,000 tonnes of mangoes to China during the season. 

The following day, at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, then Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian said Bangladesh would export around 50 tonnes of mangoes to China for the first time and that discussions were underway with the relevant Chinese authorities to significantly increase exports in the coming years.

But that aspiration remained stuck in paper and in statement only.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh exported 5.22 tonnes of mangoes to China in 2025 and about 700 kilograms so far this year.

Commercial exports began in 2025 after the two countries signed an export protocol in 2024. Only Meridian Agro has received approval to export mangoes to China.

More than two dozen other exporters have applied for registration but remain without approval, industry representatives said.

"In 2025, we shipped five tonnes of mangoes to China on a trial basis. It was never a commercial venture," Mohammad Kalimuddin, senior manager (Supply Chain) at Meridian Group told Daily Waadaa.

"Our objective was to introduce Bangladeshi mangoes to Chinese consumers and gather market feedback," he said, adding that Chinese consumers responded positively to the taste and texture of Bangladeshi mangoes.

But commercial demand remained weak because locally produced mangoes were cheaper. China's mango harvest runs from May to August, largely overlapping with Bangladesh's season.

China produces an estimated 3.8 million to 4 million tonnes of mangoes annually. Domestic mangoes typically sell for the equivalent of 100 taka to 150 taka per kilogram.

Bangladeshi exporters face air freight costs of 60 taka to 100 taka per kilogram before packaging, cold-chain handling and other export expenses.

"Our harvest season almost coincides with China's domestic mango season," Kalimuddin said. "Demand for imported mangoes is much stronger during the off-season."

He said exporters would need about $2 per kilogram to recover costs. "But mangoes are selling for around $1 or even less in the Chinese market," he said.

"At that price, exporting from Bangladesh simply isn't commercially viable."

China imports about 300,000 to 400,000 tonnes of mangoes annually despite being one of the world's largest producers. Most imports come from Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, which supply the market during China's off-season.

Exporters said Bangladeshi mangoes enter the market when domestic supplies are abundant. They also face competition from premium varieties imported from Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.

"Thai, Vietnamese and Australian mangoes generally have better size, colour and visual appeal," Kalimuddin said.

The weak performance stands in sharp contrast to the government's expectations in 2025, when officials publicly projected exports ranging from 50 tonnes in the first year to as much as 120,000 tonnes during the season.

It also contrasts with Bangladesh's position as the world's seventh-largest mango producer. According to DAE, Bangladesh produced 2.662 million tonnes of mangoes in the latest fiscal year.

Annual production has remained above 2.4 million tonnes in recent years. Only a small share reaches export markets.

Industry officials said inadequate cold-chain facilities, weak logistics, limited quarantine infrastructure and high air freight costs continue to constrain exports. Bangladesh exported a record 3,100 tonnes of mangoes in 2023.

Shipments fell to 1,321 tonnes in 2024 before recovering to 2,194 tonnes in 2025. Around 1,900 tonnes have been exported so far this year.

Bangladesh exports mangoes to 27 countries. The United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Qatar and Kuwait account for most shipments.

Britain alone absorbed nearly one-third of exports last year. Exporters said China's approval process has become another major barrier.

Razia Sultana, owner of Global Trade Link, told Waadaa that the protocol requires exporters to own orchards. "China requires exporters to own the orchard," she said, adding that "in Bangladesh, farmers generally do not export directly. That is why only one company has received approval."

Sultana said the government should have negotiated different eligibility criteria.

Mohammad Kanchan Mia, proprietor of Arat Agro BD, said his company explored the Chinese market but could not export because it lacked approval. He said he attended a fruit exhibition in Kunming to establish business links.

"If the registration process had been easier and quarantine procedures more practical, we could have exported significant quantities of mangoes to Japan and Australia this year," he said.

"Our air freight costs are already high. Without stronger government support, exports will decline further."

Agricultural economists said the commercial risks should have been assessed before the agreement was signed. Professor Abu Noman Faruq Ahmmed of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University said Bangladesh should have conducted a market assessment before finalising the protocol.

"A test shipment should have been carried out before finalising the agreement," he said, adding that "under the current market conditions, exporting mangoes to China is not economically viable."

He also said Bangladesh lacks a coordinated institutional framework for agricultural exports. "Different organisations work independently, with little coordination," he said.

Government officials acknowledged that China has yet to become a commercially attractive market. Mohammad Arifur Rahman, project director of the Exportable Mango Production Project, told Waadaa that low prices remained the biggest challenge.

"In any business, both the exporter and the buyer must benefit," he said. "At present, Bangladeshi mangoes are not getting the expected prices in China."

He said Bangladesh had little influence over China's approval requirements. "China requires exporters to have their own orchards and packing houses," he said.

"So far, only one company has met those requirements and received approval from the Export Promotion Bureau. Our role has been limited to providing technical information and support," he added.

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