Pakistan's mango exports are plummeting because of the pandemic — and fruit vendors are suffering

• Pakistan is one of the world's biggest exporters of mangoes.
• But the pandemic has caused mango exports to plummet by 30,000 tons in Pakistan.
• Now, most mangoes are winding up in local markets, where the fruit is in high supply but low demand — pushing fruit vendors to the brink.

In Pakistan, mangoes are a prized household staple, with over two dozen varieties grown and exported all over the world.

The South Asian nation is the third-biggest global exporter of mangoes — mostly selling to the UK, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

But this year COVID-19 has not spared Pakistan's so-called "king of fruits." Exports have fallen by almost a third — an estimated 30,000 metric tons, a National Agricultural Research Center horticulturist told Business Insider Today.

Now, most of the mangoes are ending up in local markets, and the high supply but low demand has caused a sharp fall in prices.

Business Insider Today followed local fruit vendor Muzaffar Hussain in Islamabad.

See how mango vendors are faring on Business Insider Today »