Pakistani Mango Season: Varieties and Where to Buy

The Pakistani mango season runs from about May to mid-September. Sindh's Sindhri arrives first, in May and June, Anwar Ratol and Langra follow in June and July, and Punjab's Chaunsa carries the season through July and August. If you want the widest choice in one trip, go in late June or July, when several varieties are in the market at once.

This guide covers the season as a whole: the main varieties and when each one is at its best, the two growing belts around Multan and Mirpur Khas, and how to buy a good box in a big city. For a closer look at one region, see our guides to the Multan mango season and the mangoes of Sindh.

When does mango season start in Pakistan?

The first fruit for the home market usually comes from Sindh at the end of April or in early May. Sindh's trees flower earlier than Punjab's, so the province's mangoes reach Karachi and Lahore weeks before the Punjab crop.

The start moves with the weather every year. In 2026, one Multan exporter told the trade site FreshPlaza that domestic picking began in the first week of May instead of the usual last week of April, while another said warm weather had brought Sindhri forward to mid-May, a week or two earlier than in 2025. Both said exports could not begin until 1 June. Treat any start date as approximate and judge by what is in the market.

Which varieties come when?

Pakistan grows close to 200 mango varieties, according to Sindh Agriculture University researchers quoted by Arab News, but a handful make up most of what you will see on a fruit cart. This is the rough order they arrive in:

1. May: Sindhri from Sindh, plus early local varieties.
2. June: Sindhri at its best, Sindhri from Punjab, early Anwar Ratol, Dussehri and the first Langra.
3. July: Chaunsa takes over, alongside Langra and later Anwar Ratol. This is the month with the most choice.
4. August: Chaunsa, especially White Chaunsa, and late varieties such as Fajri.
5. Early to mid-September: the last of the late fruit. A 2026 trade source expected the season to end around mid-September.

Sindhri

The large, oval, deep yellow mango of Sindh, sweet and aromatic, with very little fibre. It was developed in Mirpur Khas in the early twentieth century and it is still Pakistan's flagship export variety. Look for it from May to early July. Early-season Sindhri can be slightly tart.

Anwar Ratol

A small, yellow, intensely sweet mango with almost no fibre. It comes from the village of Rataul in Uttar Pradesh, and after 1947 the family that developed it brought plants to the Multan region. It has an early and a later crop: the early fruit, in June, is sweeter but more fragile, and the later fruit has thicker skin and keeps better.

Langra

Originally from Banaras, Langra stays green, or keeps a greenish tinge, even when it is fully ripe. That catches out buyers who wait for it to turn yellow. Its flavour is tangy and sweet, sharper than Sindhri or Chaunsa, and its season runs from about mid-June into the second half of July.

Chaunsa

The mango most Pakistanis think of as the best. Chaunsa is golden yellow when soft, almost fibreless and very sweet, and its main centres are Multan and Rahim Yar Khan. Its name is traditionally linked to Sher Shah Suri's victory over Humayun at Chausa in Bihar. Its season normally starts at the beginning of June and ends in the third week of August, with the bulk of the crop in July.

There are several types, and the names matter when you buy:

• Summer Bahisht, an earlier Chaunsa.
• Kala (black) Chaunsa, with darker skin.
• Safaid (white) Chaunsa, the late type, preferred for export because it keeps longer.
• Azeem Chaunsa, also sold as Rattewala.

Other names you will see

Dussehri and Fajri are common in the markets, while Saroli, Gulab Khasa, Began Phali, Neelum, Sonehra, Lal Badshah and Almas, which turn up at festivals and specialist sellers more than on ordinary carts.

Where are Pakistan's mango orchards?

Punjab grows most of the country's mangoes. According to figures carried by the state news agency APP, Punjab has about 105,000 hectares under mango and Sindh about 50,000. Within Punjab the south is the heart of it: Multan has the largest area, followed by Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh and Khanewal. In Sindh, the main districts are Mirpur Khas, Tando Allahyar, Matiari and Hyderabad.

Multan and south Punjab

The Multan belt is Chaunsa and Anwar Ratol country. Orchards surround the city and the neighbouring districts, and roadside stalls sell fruit from the farms in season. July is the month to go if you want to buy from the source. Our Multan mango season guide covers orchard visits and courier boxes, and our Multan itinerary shows how to fit fruit around the shrines and the old city.

Mirpur Khas and lower Sindh

Mirpur Khas is known as the mango capital of Sindh, and it is Sindhri's home. It holds a National Mango Festival each summer, usually in June, at the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute, where growers show dozens of varieties and they are judged for quality. The News reported the twentieth festival in 2023. Sindh Agriculture University has also run a mango festival in Karachi, at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in July 2024. Dates are announced each year, so check local news before planning around one.

Mirpur Khas is reached from Karachi via Hyderabad, which makes it a long day trip or an overnight stop. Our guide to places to visit in Hyderabad covers a stop on the way.

How much do mangoes cost?

Prices change week by week through the season. They are highest when a variety first arrives and fall as supply peaks, then rise again at the very end. In 2026, one Pakistani exporter said domestic prices were 10 to 15 per cent higher than in 2025, and another blamed higher fuel and freight costs. Trade sources disagreed on how big the 2026 crop was: one put it at about 1.5 million tonnes, roughly a fifth below 2025, while another described production as broadly in line with the year before.

We have not found a reliable 2026 price per kilogram to print. Check prices at two or three sellers before buying a box, and expect Anwar Ratol and good White Chaunsa to cost more than Sindhri or ordinary Chaunsa.

Where to buy mangoes in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad

You do not need to go to an orchard to eat well. In season, every city has three options:

• Fruit mandis, the wholesale markets, cheapest by the box and best early in the morning.
• Fruit shops and carts in your own area, easiest for a few kilos at a time.
• Farm boxes ordered online or by phone, sent by courier from Multan or Sindh. These are convenient, but quality varies, so order one box first.

Mangoes are sold by the box in the markets and loose by the kilo from carts. Ask which variety it is and where it came from, and expect a good seller to know.

How to pick a good box

• Smell the stalk end. A ripe mango smells sweet there. No smell usually means it was picked too green.
• Press gently. It should give a little. Rock-hard fruit needs a few days at room temperature.
• Do not judge Langra by colour. It stays green when ripe.
• Avoid wrinkled skin, dark patches and fruit leaking at the stalk.
• Open one box before you buy several.

Watch for artificial ripening

Some sellers ripen mangoes with calcium carbide, which is illegal and a health risk. The Punjab Food Authority runs crackdowns each season, and in June 2025 its teams inspected more than 200 sites, seized carbide and destroyed mangoes found ripened with it. Carbide-ripened fruit often has bright, even colour outside but hard or sour patches inside. Buy from sellers with steady turnover, wash fruit before eating, and let fruit ripen at home rather than buying everything ready to eat.

Is it worth planning a trip around mango season?

For most people, no. Mango season coincides with the hottest weeks of the year in Multan and lower Sindh, often well above 40 degrees, and the orchards offer little shade at midday. A trip built only around fruit means early mornings, long afternoons indoors and real heat risk, which our heatstroke guide covers. Our guide to the seasons explains which months suit which parts of the country.

It is worth it in two cases. If you live in Karachi, a day trip to Mirpur Khas in June for the festival or the orchards is easy and rewarding. If you are already passing through Multan in July, a morning at the orchards and a box for the drive home costs you very little time. Otherwise, the fruit comes to you: the mandis in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad sell the same varieties through the season. For more ideas on eating your way round the country, see our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions