- 9 hours ago
Air freight, strict regulations and prices of up to €22 per kilo: Indian traders are testing whether mangoes can work as a niche product in Europe. Plus: Pakistan’s solar boom.
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00:07South Korea is famous for K-pop and cult TV shows.
00:12The US has blockbuster movies and big-name beverages.
00:15Japan exports mangas and video games, while China loans out its panda ambassadors.
00:21They all showcase a country's culture and traditions,
00:24and can also serve as political PR on the global stage.
00:28It's a concept called soft power,
00:31as opposed to hard power involving military force or economic coercion.
00:36India uses not manga, but mango diplomacy.
00:39A trader there is doing his bit by exporting the fruit to Europe,
00:43despite various obstacles.
00:47Also on this edition of MADE...
00:50The solar boom in Pakistan.
00:53How high electricity prices are dividing the country.
00:57Carbon-free cement.
00:59How Norway is storing emissions under the sea.
01:03And...
01:04Shoes for life.
01:05Richard Effery's handcrafted footwear in Frankfurt.
01:21India is on a sweet mission.
01:23To bring more mangoes to the world.
01:25They aren't just an export good.
01:28Mangoes have been India's tools of diplomacy for decades.
01:31In other words, mango diplomacy.
01:34To form new alliances, but also to boost business.
01:38Since an EU-India trade deal is now within reach,
01:41for this Indian fruit vendor the time has come to enter the European market.
01:51Ritteraj Shukla is on his way to present his product to a customer in Frankfurt.
01:55He wants to bring up to 40 varieties of mangoes to Europe.
02:00Not on a large scale, rather as an exclusive niche product.
02:04Good morning.
02:09This is the most sought after mango in Andhra Pradesh.
02:19This one is really sweeter.
02:23Good.
02:25We can try one more maybe.
02:27My clientele is close to 100 tons.
02:30My vision is to sell really high quality produce.
02:34Of consistent quality, superior tasting and harvested in optimal seasons.
02:39One thing I've learned at my work is that people need to try things.
02:44They need to try to decide if it's good or not.
02:47You cannot find them in Germany anywhere else.
02:52We are the VIPs that have the mangoes.
02:56It's something special.
02:57People like to feel special.
02:59At 22 euros per kilogram, one average mango would cost roughly 6 to 8 euros,
03:05illustrating what customers might pay for a special product.
03:08And on top of that, they're shipped by air freight because of their shelf life of only a few days,
03:13which is more of a drawback when it comes to customers who value sustainability.
03:18There are many obstacles to overcome for Indian exporters.
03:21Strict pesticide controls have also been an issue.
03:26Then they issued new guidelines that said any goods you ship from the Indian subcontinent must be hot water treated
03:33or vapor heat treated and must be clean.
03:36If it's okay, the officer or the inspector must be present and only then will you get the certificate.
03:42Compliance regulations are very strict and hard to follow.
03:46This differentiates the mangoes that go to the Gulf from the ones that go to Europe.
03:51Raj is working to bring mango production on his farms in India in line with EU quality and compliance standards.
03:57He's growing some of his mangoes on farms in the Lucknow region of Uttar Pradesh in the Dashiri Mango Belt,
04:03where production is closely controlled and documented.
04:07We've already made a deal with those farmers from whom we will buy mangoes at a very good price if
04:13they follow those compliance requirements.
04:15His business could benefit from the new EU-India trade deal.
04:19India and the European Union have agreed on a wide-ranging free trade deal that would cut tariffs on many
04:25goods
04:26and create what the European Commission describes as the world's largest free trade agreement.
04:30But it has not yet come into effect and still needs to be ratified by all parties.
04:35The result would translate into easier market access for exporters on both sides.
04:41But Ritu Raj could also face more competition.
04:45I think the trade deal is a good positive step.
04:48But whether it has to do with agriculture or this product, mangoes, doesn't make much difference.
04:55Because the EU quality compliance is still the same, like mandatory phytosanitary certification and hot water treatment.
05:05India is the world's largest mango producer, growing nearly half of all mangoes globally and cultivating around a thousand varieties.
05:13But it exports less than one percent of them.
05:18Why is that?
05:20Most Indian mangoes are consumed on the domestic market.
05:23A mango's shelf life is rather short.
05:25Shipping takes too long. Exporting them by plane is expensive.
05:30Quick spoilage means that they tend to ferment and go moldy, making it hard to meet strict EU regulations.
05:36And the European market is very picky.
05:39Only a few varieties with longer shelf lives are commercially viable.
05:44Closer markets, like the UAE, offer easier access with lower import restrictions.
05:51So much for the numbers.
05:53But mangoes even play a role in high-level diplomacy.
05:57During a visit to India to unlock a landmark civil nuclear deal in 2006,
06:03U.S. President George W. Bush made a request on the side to taste India's famed Alfonso mango.
06:09He was reportedly impressed.
06:11And in 2007, the United States reopened its market to Indian mangoes after almost 20 years.
06:17The episode became known as the nuclear mango moment, a symbol of how small gestures helped pave the way for
06:24a major strategic breakthrough.
06:26In a joint U.S.-India statement in 2025, dominated by rockets, security and trade worth billions,
06:33the king of fruits still found its way into the fine print.
06:39For growers like Ritu Raj, that symbolism matters.
06:42Because if Europe opens its doors, the mango could move from diplomatic gift to everyday fruit.
06:53Ritu Raj has traveled around the world, including to big cities in Germany like Berlin and Cologne,
06:59to see for himself which fruits markets offer.
07:02He ultimately found a warehouse for his mangoes in Frankfurt.
07:07Frankfurt is very impressive.
07:09I think there's a lot of scope for us here.
07:11I think Germany is a really good, unexplored market for Indian mangoes,
07:16because here, people like quality.
07:18They value quality.
07:21Quality, specification, taste.
07:24They like everything to be thoroughly perfect.
07:28Once they're completely convinced, there's no going back.
07:32I feel it's a much better market than the South Asian or Middle Eastern markets,
07:36where quality is not a priority.
07:41But one thing is certain.
07:44If we consistently supply them with good quality Indian mangoes on a regular basis,
07:50then there's definitely a scope for change, in a good way.
07:54For Ritu Raj, this is not about exporting at all costs, but about turning quality into a sustainable business,
08:01and proving that the European market is willing to pay for it.
08:09Electricity in Asia also costs a pretty penny right now.
08:13In Pakistan, prices have skyrocketed.
08:16Many people there are now eager to generate their own energy using solar panels.
08:21But new taxes and lower subsidies mean not everyone can afford them.
08:26And here too, the gap between rich and poor is growing.
08:33This has become a common sight in parts of Karachi.
08:37Rooftop after rooftop, lined with solar panels.
08:41Almost all of them Chinese made, and imported in recent years.
08:46All of them with one purpose.
08:48Getting around the country's high electricity costs.
08:51We have solar panels in different places.
08:57In our office, the bill was 100,000 rupees.
09:01For the last three years, it's nearly zero.
09:04In our factory too, the bill used to be around 100,000 rupees.
09:09Now it's zero.
09:13At home, we didn't have as many panels before, but now we've installed more.
09:17So we hope that bill will be nearly zero as well.
09:23Between 2021 and 2024, grid tariffs rose 155%, making electricity unaffordable for many.
09:34Meanwhile, solar panels have only become cheaper.
09:38By 2024, Pakistan had become the world's number one importer of Chinese solar panels.
09:46Then came the Iran war.
09:48And with it, even more stress on the grid.
09:52In Pakistan, LNG is an important source of electricity generation.
09:57Pakistanis have also long relied on diesel generators to cover the gaps left by an unreliable grid.
10:04Patrol and diesel jumped 20% in a single week, hitting generator costs immediately.
10:11And with LNG powering a significant share of the national grid, load shedding or planned blackouts has increased since the
10:19war began.
10:20Electricity bills are expected to follow, as energy costs tend to catch up.
10:24Meanwhile, those who had already made the switch to solar have been shielded.
10:30While it's mostly the affluent who have gone solar, some families across lower income brackets have also dipped into savings
10:37to make the switch.
10:40It's at least 20 to 25% less on the electricity bill.
10:45The money we save goes to other things, petrol, household items and groceries.
10:52And then there are those who can't make the switch at all.
10:57The downside to living in an apartment block is I can't go solar.
11:00Every month I'm stressed about the upcoming bill.
11:04That divide between those with and without solar is especially visible in Balochistan.
11:10The province gets more sunlight than anywhere else in the country.
11:15And nearly 90% of its villages have no connection to the main electricity grid.
11:21Some people here have been running private solar systems for years, with little state support.
11:30Since 2022, it has been powering computer labs and classrooms in the university and our area.
11:40I chose solar because of the constant load shedding from the national grid, and the bills were too high.
11:46I installed a 5 kilowatt system in my house.
11:50It cost around 500,000 to 600,000 rupees.
11:55My electricity bill before was around 25,000 rupees.
12:01Now it's down by 40 to 50%.
12:04Others haven't. And now the government is making it harder.
12:11The government is taxing solar panels.
12:13Now it's expensive, and not as many people can buy it.
12:18We request the government to kindly reduce the tax.
12:23This is the need of every family, so they can cook and power the water motor.
12:30Not only are they taxing solar panels, the government has also cut its solar buyback rate by 60%.
12:38Meaning, people who sell surplus solar power back to the grid get paid significantly less than before.
12:46Islamabad is also taxing battery imports from China.
12:49The very thing people need to store power when the grid fails.
12:54The government says it's protecting grid consumers from rising costs, but critics say it's protecting utility revenue.
13:01Since we don't produce our own solar panels and we don't produce batteries, we will be importing them.
13:07And we don't have dollars either.
13:08We again have a huge trade deficit.
13:10If the government reduces the taxation and incentivizes use of solar, that increases the budget deficit.
13:18So it's a balancing act the government will have to do.
13:23Balochistan is an extreme example.
13:25But the vulnerability is not unique to this province.
13:30Whether the Iran conflict escalates or stabilizes, exposure to high grid prices is likely to stay in Pakistan.
13:38And economists say the pressure is only building.
13:42People are certainly now talking about solarizing if this war continues and the situation continues to worsen.
13:50It has already insulated the upper class, largely.
13:55The impact of the oil prices has today just been felt at the gas stations.
14:00That impact has not yet been translated into electricity rates.
14:04Once electricity rates goes up, they will rush for it.
14:08The gap between those who can afford solar and those who cannot is only getting wider.
14:14And the state's policies are doing little to close it.
14:22Solar power systems don't produce harmful greenhouse gases when generating electricity.
14:27In the process, they help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Action.
14:33But CO2 generation isn't always avoidable.
14:37Cement production accounts for 8% of global output, adding up to 2.8 billion tons annually.
14:45Stay tuned to see how one country is looking to change that.
14:51This plant in Breivik, 150 kilometers away from the Norwegian capital, Oslo, produces more than 1 million tons of cement
15:00a year.
15:01Enough to build several dozen skyscrapers.
15:04Cement plants cause enormous amounts of carbon dioxide emissions.
15:08This is the first plant in the world to collect CO2 and render it harmless.
15:15The big question, can and how does it work?
15:21Let's go.
15:23To make cement, you need limestone, which is found underground here, right next to the plant, 300 meters below the
15:31surface.
15:36Once it's extracted, it's crushed in a grinder and transported to the factory via conveyor belts.
15:46Once there, the limestone is fed into a rotary kiln, where it is heated and transformed into cement through several
15:53production stages.
15:58The furnace is currently having its heat insulation replaced, giving our camera crew a rare opportunity to venture inside the
16:0667 meter long structure.
16:17And in the middle of the kiln, or like one third into the kiln, it's the hottest zone.
16:22It has a material temperature of 1450 degrees, and the gas temperature is like 2000.
16:29The furnace is lined with fire clay bricks, and is powered by gas, coal, and processed industrial waste.
16:38This causes carbon dioxide emissions, however, there are also huge quantities of it stored in the limestone itself.
16:46CO2 that nobody wants.
16:48So like one third of this stone is CO2. One third of the weight. When you heat it to 900
16:57degrees, it will release the CO2.
17:01A giant filter system is used to separate CO2 from the furnace's exhaust gases.
17:07The facility was completed in 2025, at a cost of around 400 million euros, with the Norwegian government covering 80
17:15% of the bill, with just 20% being paid for by the owner, Heidelberg Materials.
17:22The company operates around 130 cement plants worldwide.
17:29We want to know how the group intends to reduce CO2 emissions at its other plants too in the future.
17:36It was clear in order to reach net zero, it was indispensable to work on carbon capture.
17:44And in Norway, we found a partner in the government, which was as ambitious as we were.
17:52Net zero is the goal, but is it realistic?
17:55Cement produced with lower CO2 emissions means higher costs.
17:59So are consumers willing to pay the higher prices?
18:03It's important to develop this market and see how customers can value the carbon neutrality of the building, if you
18:12are.
18:12And how the customers, of our customers, can give value to that.
18:18The plant is only able to capture around half of the CO2 emissions.
18:22New furnace firing methods and limestone alternatives should reduce emissions further.
18:28The captured carbon dioxide is then liquefied and stored in these tanks.
18:33The CO2 is shipped off from the adjacent port.
18:39That's after the tanks have filled up over a period of four days.
18:44The next destination is the Oigarden Receiving Terminal, hundreds of kilometers away on the North Sea coast.
18:53From there, the CO2 is injected around 2,600 meters deep into the seabed via pipelines.
19:05The terminal is operated by Northern Lights, a consortium of Total Energies, Air Liquide and Shell.
19:12Energy companies that have been significant contributors to global CO2 emissions by burning oil and gas.
19:19The liquid CO2 carrier ship, Northern Pathfinder, is currently in port.
19:25The journey from the cement works in Breivik took three days.
19:30We are expanding the ship, the fleet, with three new vessels.
19:36Up to one ship with 8,000 tons, two ships with 12,000 tons.
19:41And they will serve over a Phase 2 customer that's located in Sweden, Denmark and in the Netherlands.
19:48The terminal cost 1.5 billion euros, around 80% of which was again covered by the Norwegian state.
19:55The country is the fourth largest gas supplier in the world and a major oil producer, and needs to reduce
20:02its emissions.
20:04One of the terminal's operators is oil multinational Total Energies, which is investing in carbon capture and storage technology, or
20:13CCS.
20:14This is the control room where...
20:15Total Energies worldwide is today emitting a bit more than 33 million tons of CO2.
20:23And that is coming from almost 40 million tons even five, six years ago.
20:27So we are already working a lot on reducing our emissions.
20:31CCS is not yet part of it, but it will be in the future certainly also part of it.
20:36The operators want to add more offshore sites.
20:39Customers include European steelworks, cement manufacturers and combined heat and power plants, who've sent this delegation to visit the terminal.
20:49In the future they will have to pay EU penalties for their CO2 emissions, currently 70 euros per tonne and
20:56set to rise to 100 by 2030.
21:01Technologies such as CO2 capture could be a solution to reducing emissions, but they are time consuming and expensive.
21:09And at some point companies themselves will have to bear the costs.
21:13So while cement could become more climate friendly in future, it may also become pricier.
21:24Manually crafted items are also expensive.
21:28They're exclusive, meticulously detailed and built to last.
21:31Think gold jewelry.
21:33Furniture tailor-made to the customer's wishes.
21:35And hand-blown glass.
21:39And then there are bespoke leather bags, of course, and hand-woven textiles.
21:44Not to mention footwear.
21:47Among the few traditional shoemakers left in Germany, we met one with his very own vision.
21:57For me it was always clear, sitting in an office, working on a laptop or computer, no way.
22:03The alternative was working with my hands.
22:06I've always been good with my hands.
22:08When most people imagine a shoemaker, they think of an old hunched-over man.
22:13I wanted to move away from that narrative.
22:15I always wanted to be different from other people.
22:19Hello guys, my name is Richard Every, I'm 31 years old, I live in Frankfurt, Germany, and I'm a shoemaker
22:24master.
22:34Even if I make shoes, I have to be able to repair everything myself.
22:38It's part of the job, because I can't make a living from custom-made shoes alone.
22:43My customers are really people who live conscientiously.
22:46People who specifically do not want to buy things and then throw them away.
22:51They invest a bit more in quality and end up with shoes that can be repaired.
22:55Shoes they can have repaired over and over again.
22:59Depending on the model and the level of complexity, it can take anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks, sometimes even
23:0514 weeks.
23:06That's over 200 individual work steps.
23:09I'd even say over 250 steps if it's the first pair.
23:13My prices start at 2,000 for the first pair because we have to take measurements.
23:18And once I've made the last, once I have the foundation, each additional pair is less expensive because the patterns
23:24already exist and the measurements have already been taken.
23:27It's an incredibly exciting moment when I hand over the shoes after working on them for weeks and the customer
23:34steps into them for the first time.
23:40Quite often, customers even hug me because they're so happy with the result.
23:44They're genuinely excited to finally have shoes that truly, truly fit exactly the way they imagined.
23:52They can basically last a lifetime if you take good care of them.
24:03I love Frankfurt as hell, bro, because it just has a different energy than the rest of Germany, I would
24:12say.
24:13But now I speak way more German than English, so even though to express myself, it's way easier, it comes
24:19way more natural for me.
24:21I don't know, I feel at home here, I would say, so yeah.
24:26Definitely want to leave Germany at some point, because first of all taxes and as a bureaucracy or bureaucracy, so
24:34like, there's so much paperwork.
24:36There's a saying now that it's a cliché that a lot of German people are still uptight.
24:43Definitely a lot of German people are still uptight.
24:44Definitely a white society, like, for sure, for sure.
24:48So, it's just nothing I can overcome.
24:50I never felt different in Nigeria.
24:54You can never, like, really, really be completely, fully accepted.
24:59That's just how it is, you know.
25:00So, you just have to live with it and then make the best out of it, you know.
25:05The long-term girl, for me, is to, like, build my brand, build my shop, and then to be able
25:13to sustain it for a longer period of time.
25:16And then, someday, maybe go back to Nigeria and build, like, a school or something there.
25:22A school about building shoes and being able, like, also a craft mansion.
25:28I see myself very German, so I would call, like, German is my home now.
25:32Even though it's still my home, I still don't plan on living here for the rest of my life, you
25:36know.
25:36Because the world is so big, and it's always about change, and the world's my life.
25:41Life is always about movement, and I don't see myself staying in one place, just since, like, forever.
25:51That's it for this edition of Made, featuring Mango Diplomacy,
25:55inequality amid Pakistan's solar boom, storing CO2 from cement production, and some new shoes.
26:02See you soon.
26:06I'll see you soon.