How To Create Wealth From Mango Processing For Export, Local Markets
Mangoes are sweet and succulent fruits that come in seasonal each year. What most people don’t know is that you can create wealth from mango processing.
Mangoes start dominating the market stalls during the rainy seasons which are between February and July. When the rainy season of the year comes early, it can be from January to June; while during rainy seasons, it is between March and August.
Because of the abundance of the highly perishable mangoes at a particular time of the year in the tropics, much is consumed while the rest is left to decay after it falls.
Most people do not intentionally waste mangoes, but since the fruits are fresh and much, they can become overripe when kept for long and if taken in this state, are bound to cause a runny stomach.
In this article, we would be detailing the importance of agriculture in wealth creation, by processing and preserving those mango fruits that fall at the feet of your trees.
This guide features easy steps you can take to make money from your mango trees without having to stress at all.
Ordinarily, mangoes contain fibers that get stuck between the teeth as the pulpy juice is sucked from the fruit. On the flip side, fibers are roughage and help ease digestion.
The vitamin content of this fruit is seen in the way it boosts the immune system and can replace vegetables and most fruits. Since mangoes are very cheap in Nigeria, you can replace taking “an apple a day…” with mangoes because apples are one of the country’s most expensive fruits recently.
Mango fruits also help to lower the risks of cancers because they are highly infused with lots of minerals and contain very low calories. Some of the mineral nutrients in mangoes are phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, and selenium.
Mango Production in the World
Mangoes are India’s native fruit a d the world’s largest mango producer. They produce over 18 million metric tonnes of mangoes each year. They are also rated as the biggest mango exporting country in the world.
Southeast Asia and specifically, China ranks number two on the list with 4.77 million metric tonnes annually.
While Kenya is the 13th on the list of the largest mango producers in the world with about 700,000 tonnes of mangoes produced yearly, the African country has been approved to start exporting mangoes. This action has raked in a revenue of $92 million just in 2021 – the same year they were approved by the European Union (EU)
Nigeria, being the 10th largest mango-producing country in the world turns a little over 900,000 metric tonnes of mango each year.
Mangoes in Nigeria
There are numerous varieties of mango fruit in Nigeria but only eight are very common. The more popular mango variety in Nigeria is the Normal Mango also known as Ogbomosho/Enugu type.
This specie has bright yellow skin color though there may be orange to red shades and black fade spots on it. The unripe mango skin is green but soon turns yellow as it ripens.
It has an oblong shape with a firm smooth texture. The pulpy mango is used for making mango jams and puree.
Other Mango Varieties in Nigeria include:
Benue Mango
Cotonou Mango
German Mango
Kerosene Mango
Julie Mango
Sheri Mango
Peter/Sugar Mango
How Wealth Can Be Created By Simply Processing Mangoes
Because of the short shelf life of mangoes, it is best to process these fruits as soon as they are harvested to reduce the numbers that go to waste.
This in turn creates diverse opportunities for wealth creation in the mango business.
- Employment of labor
- Industrialization of the mango products
- Localized sales and export of mango fruits on a large scale
Causes Of Low Productivity In Mango Processing
Most times, there are bountiful harvests of mango but because the fruits cannot be stored properly, they go to waste. Pepper, leafy vegetables, and tomato farming in Nigeria face the same fates as mango. That is why these perishable foods become expensive and scarce when they are not in season.
What Can Be Done To Maximise Profits On Mango Production
For food processing agents that want to make money from marketing mangoes, the best way to source mangoes would be from the local farmers as they offer the cheapest rates on raw materials.
Whether you’re going through the local or international markets, you are sure to make good returns on your investments.
However, foreign exchange earnings from the export of mango chips still beat the income you can make selling only locally.
1. Increasing Available Mangoes for Processing
Since mangoes are comparatively cheap, the availability of raw materials during the rainy season cannot be posted as an issue in productivity.
2. Processing Mangoes Into Forms That Can Be Stored Easily
Processing mangoes into mango chips would go a long way in preserving the fruits after harvest. They can also be industrialized in this form and sold in foreign markets and juice companies.
To make mango chips, half-ripe mangoes should be collected, peeled, and diced into small pieces. It should be dried and packaged in Ziploc bags to prevent them from becoming humid again.
These mango chips can be rehydrated and used for making juices or jam, or better still eaten in that form as a snack
3. Sales Of Mangoes In Grocery Stores
Local trades are also another way to create wealth through mango processing. Many profits would be made from these fruits in grocery stores especially if they are not in season.
4. Augmenting Mango Production
Increasing mango cultivation indigenously, maintaining plantations, and encouraging proper harvesting techniques would also help to stabilize supplies of the goods.
5. Availability Of Processing Tools
Making mango processing equipment such as mango dryers (Solar or Electromechanical) and fuels to heat the plants. On average, mangoes take about 20 hours to dry.
Solar dryers are preferred because they are the most economical means of food preservation. However, they take longer than the electrochemical and diesel-powered dryers. To dry mangoes in a solar dryer, you should be willing to wait up to 3 to 4 days depending on the humidity of the mangoes.
Conclusion
The different mango species have their varying tastes and flavors and as such, there is an increased chance to create wealth in processing mango for local and export markets in Nigeria.
To make the most out of your mangoes, you should study the mango processing methods carefully without missing any step as such can hamper the rate of your productivity.
