In light of the past ban on Indian mango by the European Union, mango growers and government authorities in Maharashta are being extra cautious this season to ensure that mango exports go smoothly.
This time, officials from the Maharashtra agriculture department, Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have decided to coordinate to ensure that there are not traceability issues and there are no hurdles in exports.
Around 70,000 tonnes of mango are expected to be exported this season and some 10,000 tonnes are set to be exported to the EU, top officials said. Last year, India exported some 50,000 tonnes, very little of which went to Europe. The EU had imposed a temporary ban on Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India, stating that it had found fruit fly infestation in the fruit and the ban on the mango was later lifted last year towards the end of the season.
“These targets will be possible when mango growers from Maharashtra and the rest of the country follow the ‘MangoNet’ protocol. MSAMB will be writing to APEDA to ensure that this is followed strictly across the country so that exports are not affected,” Milind Akare, MD, MSAMB.
Government agencies had worked to put in place MangoNet — an online traceability system that registers mango growers and exporters and enable importers and supermarkets in the EU to check complete details of their shipments — on the lines of the successful ‘Grapenet’.
Maharashtra is the largest mango exporter in the country and accounts for 90% of the total export of the country.
According to Akare, although there are some 25,000 mango growers in the state, only 2000 of these are registered on MangoNet. This is because most farmers find it difficult to meet the protocol developed in MangoNet, which includes timely spraying cycles and application of pesticides among other things.
Moreover, APEDA has made it mandatory for exporters to pick mangoes for export only from growers registered on MangoNet. MSAMB has therefore established 22 teams to monitor farmers.
