Beleaguered mango exporters from Uttar Pradesh are worried about a new stringent certification norm in key Gulf markets. The state's mango exporters are already facing a substantial drop in mango production this season due to hailstorms and unseasonal rains.
According to the new norms in West Asian markets, mango exporters are now required to submit a certificate, along with the consignment, regarding the use of pesticides during the flowering of the crop and the duration of its use.
"This is aimed at ensuring that pesticides have not permeated the skin of the fruit and rendered it harmful for human consumption," Western UP-based Shahnaz Exports promoter Nadeem Siddiqui told Business Standard.
"The dilemma is that there are no labs in UP to issue such certificates to exporters, who will have to approach labs elsewhere, whether near the national capital or other states, such as Haryana," he lamented.
Siddiqui said that he was in touch with the UP Mandi Parishad (state agricultural marketing board) to demand the setting up of testing and certification labs at the state's pack houses.
