The May 2014 ban imposed by the European Union on the import of Indian mangoes lasted seven months. But it didn't prove to be a major hurdle for the fruit exporters. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), exports and revenues for the 2014-15 marginally increased over the previous year.
According to the APEDA, in 2014-15 India exported 42,998 tonnes of mangoes to 47 countries, earning ₹302 crore. In the previous year, 41,280 tonnes of mangoes were exported to 53 countries, resulting in revenues of ₹285 crore. While exports to the US and Japanese markets also improved, the biggest fall was in the UK, where the trade plunged to 329 tonnes in 2014-15 from 3,381 tonnes a year earlier.
Still, the ban, and the climatic change in the mango growing areas in Maharashtra have brought a needed thrust on improving food standards. The erratic climate has seen the production of Alphonso, the most premium variety of mango exported from the country, dip by about 40 per cent over the last two years. “Before the export ban was thrust on India, there were no organised efforts by Indian exporters to meet the importing countries food safety requirements,” says Jagadeesh Sunkad, Agriculture consultant to the Asian Development Bank. These countries were most worried about fruit flies and seed weevil insects entering their ecosystem. These pests are predatory in nature and can harm other varieties of plants, he adds.
Since the ban, traders, farmers and the Central Government have become aware of the food safety requirements of other countries and taken steps such as irradiation, water and chemical treatments for eliminating the pest. “Insects are present in the form of eggs in the mangoes, therefore the fruit needs to be treated properly before shipping,” Sunkad said. Under irradiation, fruits are exposed to radiation to kill disease-causing micro-organisms.
