Mangoes on the Move: The Mango as a Diplomatic Gift

Among food and drink items given as diplomatic gifts, mangoes are a frequent choice of South Asian political leaders. They help build and maintain diplomatic relationships, serving as sweet calling cards and promoting the products of local mango growers. The fact many regional political leaders themselves own mango orchards adds a personal quality to the gifts. The use of mangoes as diplomatic gifts is encouraged by their desirability and low cost, removing potential concerns around bribery. Their seasonality promotes regular, annual gifting at harvest time. Mango gifts to fellow South Asian leaders are based around a mutual love of the fruit, combined with a desire to showcase prized local varieties and implicitly assert their superiority. Gifts outside this region may be linked to efforts to build mango exports in an increasingly competitive global market. They have also been used as part of strategies to unblock obstacles to exporting the fruit. Historically, mangoes gifted to countries where the fruit was unknown were objects of wonder, emphasising the exoticism of the gifting polity. Mangoes gifted to Chairman Mao in 1968 became objects of veneration when regifted by the Chinese leader, spawning a mango cult.