Indian mangoes, banned by European Union, have started to trickle into Bangladesh market. The Indian state of Odisha has already sent the first consignment of the king of fruits to Bangladesh, reports The Times of India. Bangladesh commerce ministry officials, however, told New Age that they were not aware of any mango import from India. A senior official said that the ministry would verify the news and then it would take steps accordingly.
According to a Press Trust of India report, the EU’s ban on import of Indian mangoes, which came into force on Friday, will remain effective until December 2015 after authorities in Brussels found consignments infested with pests they fear could damage European salad crops.
According to the report of The Times of India, the first consignment of homegrown Dussehri and Amrapali mangoes was sent from Odisha to Bangladesh through train on Friday, following the EU ban.
State’s horticulture director Sanjiv Chadha said, ‘We sent around three tonnes of mango to Bangladesh for trial. We are exploring the market there and based on the response, we will increase export. Dussehri and Amrapali are very popular in north India. Compared to other mango supplying states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, these varieties ripen early in our state. We aim to capture the north Indian market by reaching there earlier.’
UK imports around 6.3-million pounds worth of Indian mangoes a year out of a UK mango market worth 68 million pounds in total. Non-European food pests were found in 207 shipments of fruit and vegetables in 2013.
The ban also includes aubergines, two types of squash, and a type of leaf called patra used in cooking.
Indian mango exporters said they had put checks in place and had been lobbying the authorities in Brussels to get the ban lifted.
Critics have argued the ban is disproportionate and will have a devastating impact on local growers, UK businesses and Britain’s trade relationship with India.
According to The Times of India report, on the home front, north India has been a destination for mangoes from Odisha for a long time. This season too, the state will export 500 tonnes of mangoes to Delhi and other places.
The state is also exporting the fruit to Utter Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, he added.
Sources said the horticulture department had got orders for mango from Finland last year, but could not supply the fruit owing to unavailability of international flights from Bhubaneswar. ‘This year, we have tied up with companies for marketing of mangoes in markets across India and outside, which will facilitate export, and ensure more benefit to farmers,’ said assistant horticulture officer at the state horticulture directorate Susant Dash.
Besides, to facilitate global and domestic trading of mango, the state horticulture department has set up a unit in Dhenkanal with processing and packaging facility, said another senior official, adding the ban imposed by the EU on import of Alphanso mangoes from India would have little impact on business in the state.
Annually, Odisha produces nearly 8 lakh tonnes of mango, of which 40 per cent are high quality varieties such as Amrapalli, Dussehri, Mallika, Keshari and Lengada, and the rest are local and indigenous varieties.
-With New Age input
