Mango symposium: Making Madhesh as a mango hub

Supported by DFAT: Government of Australia

About the event

Mangoes are one of Nepal’s most important fruit crops, contributing significantly to the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and the national economy. Mango production in Nepal has seen a steady rise, reaching nearly 500,000 metric tons in the 2021/22 season. Madhesh Province stands out as a key contributor in this growth, contributing 258,509 metric tons to the national total, demonstrating the region’s crucial role in Nepal’s mango sector.

Despite its potential, the mango industry faces several challenges, including fluctuating yields, effective and sustainable pest and disease management, post-harvest losses, and equitable market access. The sector has yet to receive support from the government sector in terms of developing the mango sector. However, with the right investments, the mango value chain can generate substantial income for farmers, create jobs in production, processing, and marketing, and contribute to Nepal’s export potential.

In 2024, the first edition of the Mango Symposium was organised at the national level at ICIMOD, where Madhesh Province made a formal commitment to further invest in and develop its mango sector. Building on that momentum, the second edition of the Mango Symposium is being organised at the provincial level in Madhesh to deepen engagement with local actors and drive forward the commitments made last year.

In 2025, the Mango symposium: Making Madhesh a mango hub, is being led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), The Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoLMAC), Madhesh Province in collaboration with ICIMOD under the HI-GRID project , Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Community Development and Advocacy Forum Nepal (CDAFN), and R&D Innovative Solution Pvt. Ltd and Nepal Horticulture Society on August 7, 2025 (Shrawan 22, 2082) at Bardibas, Mahottari, Nepal.

This one-day event aims to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including farmers, processors, marketers, researchers, policymakers, development sectors, financial institutions, academia, private sectors and other key stakeholders by government. The symposium will serve as a vital platform for these stakeholders to explore various aspects of making Madhesh Province as a “Mango Hub”.

Our goal is to receive a formal declaration or endorsement from the governmental authorities recognising Madhesh as a potential mango hub with commitments to provide policy, technical, and financial support for mango value chain development. Moreover, this event will enable relevant stakeholders to promote climate resilient and market driven solutions for “green, climate-resilient and inclusive development (GRID)-focused mango value chain development as well as promote entrepreneurship within each node of the mango value chain in Madhesh province by fostering partnerships and market linkages with central and provincial institutions.

Objectives

The objectives of this symposium are to:

• To secure a formal declaration/commitment from government bodies for establishing Madhesh as a mango hub.
• To foster collaboration and partnerships to scale among government bodies, development sectors, private sectors, farmers, researchers for the development of mango value chain in Madhesh.
• Showcase of mango varieties and it’s value-added products to promote investment, entrepreneurship and business opportunities.

Expected Outcome

At the end of this symposium, we will achieve the following:

• Policy recommendations for making Madhesh as a mango hub
• Local level commitment and MoU with stakeholders

About HI-GRID

The HI-GRID project focuses on mitigating risk related to ‘Too Much and Too Little’ (TMTL) water through capacity building and developing innovative solutions to increase climate resilience, working with 28 municipalities in two provinces (Koshi and Madhesh) in the Lower Koshi River Basin (LKRB) in Nepal.

HI-GRID is supported by the Australian Government and implemented by ICIMOD, local government organisations and project partners. The project promotes GRID based value chains as an alternative solution for livelihoods, while also supporting interventions in disaster risk reduction, governance, and nature-based solutions.