Government, industry ask EU to lift ban on Alphonso exports
1 May 2014 12:24 AM GMT
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has written to EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht regarding the matter. On Monday, the EU banned the import of Alphonso mangoes, the king of fruits, and four vegetables from India for the period from 1 May to December 2015 after authorities found consignments infested with fruit flies. ‘The EU informed India in mid-March about the issue and immediately after that we have put in place a strong mechanism for examination and certification of the commodity. We have already addressed their concerns,’ said Ajay Sahai, DG, FIEO.
Sahai said plant quarantine officials are inspecting all consignments. ‘So we have asked the EU to lift the ban,’ he added. The ban was imposed on Alphonso mangoes, eggplants, the taro plant, bitter gourd and snake gourd to tackle ‘significant shortcomings in the phytosanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU.’
Imports have been restricted as 207 consignments of mangoes and some vegetables shipped from India in 2013 were found to be contaminated by pests. The UK imports almost 160 lakh mangoes from India and the market for this fruit is worth almost 6 million pounds a year. India is the world’s largest mango exporter.
Sahai said plant quarantine officials are inspecting all consignments. ‘So we have asked the EU to lift the ban,’ he added. The ban was imposed on Alphonso mangoes, eggplants, the taro plant, bitter gourd and snake gourd to tackle ‘significant shortcomings in the phytosanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU.’
Imports have been restricted as 207 consignments of mangoes and some vegetables shipped from India in 2013 were found to be contaminated by pests. The UK imports almost 160 lakh mangoes from India and the market for this fruit is worth almost 6 million pounds a year. India is the world’s largest mango exporter.
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