UP mangoes reach Dubai by sea in 25-day shipment for Lulu Group
Shehnaz Export sent 12.5 tonnes of Dashehari and Langra mangoes from Uttar Pradesh to Dubai in a 40-foot refrigerated container. Nearly 90% of the fruit was marketable after 25 days, validating an ICAR-CISH and APEDA protocol that could reduce Gulf export logistics costs.
What happened
Shehnaz Export shipped 12.5 tonnes of UP Dashehari and Langra mangoes to Lulu Group in Dubai by sea, with nearly 90% marketable after 25 days. The ICAR-CISH and
Key facts
- 12.5 tonnes
- 25-day harvest-to-market transit
- nearly 90% marketable fruit
- Rs 15-20 additional income per kg
- 40-foot refrigerated container
- June 22 harvest date
- July 17 arrival date
Why this matters
Retailers, exporters and cold-chain providers have an opening to form supply partnerships around the ICAR-CISH/APEDA protocol and build dependable seasonal mango programs for Gulf markets.
What to watch
- Frequency and commercial scale of follow-on reefer shipments, rather than one-off trial volumes.
- Marketable-fruit percentage, retail shrink, and shelf-life data after UAE distribution and store display.
- Lulu shelf prices and promotional intensity for Indian mangoes versus air-freighted Indian fruit and Pakistani, Yemeni, Egyptian, or East African alternatives.
- Reefer freight rates, Dubai port dwell times, customs inspection delays, and any temperature-excursion reports.
- APEDA or ICAR-CISH publication of a formal export protocol, approved packhouse list, or expansion to other varieties and destinations.
- Evidence of long-term retailer-exporter contracts or dedicated seasonal container bookings.
- Lulu Group is likely to test repeat container shipments across the remaining mango season, comparing sell-through, shrink, and gross margin against air-freighted fruit.
- Exporters will seek forward volume commitments from Gulf retailers before investing in pre-cooling, sorting, vapor-heat treatment, packaging, and reefer-container capacity.
- Retailers may market Indian mango varieties as a longer-duration seasonal promotion, using lower logistics costs to widen store coverage or offer more competitive prices.
- Competing Gulf grocers may pursue direct procurement agreements with Indian exporters to prevent Lulu from securing preferential access to reliable sea-freight capacity.
- Indian export agencies may use the shipment as proof of concept to promote standardized sea protocols and negotiate smoother port-to-port handling arrangements.