Contrary to reports in Indian media, the standoff over Indian grape shipments to the EU shows no sign of easing.
The Financial Express reported yesterday that the UK and Sweden had begun accepting Indian grapes, after reaching an agreement on the maximum residue levels (MRL) permissible of the chemical chlormequat.
However, according to Nitin Agrawal of leading Indian grape exporter Euro Fruits, the UK and Ireland are the only countries taking Indian grapes at the moment.
'Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the whole of Scandinavia are still not accepting our grapes,' he told Fruitnet.com
Most of the rejected containers are lying at Rotterdam port, and Mr Agrawal said there are around 2,500 containers going to waste.
The dispute arose because the European Union did not have a specific maximum residue level (MRL) for chlormequat, but the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has since said there are no acute health risks with grapes containing levels below 1.06 gm per kg, leading the UK and Ireland to begin accepting shipments.
'The EFSA have said this is not a food safety issue, and yet most countries still will not allow our grapes,' Mr Agrawal told Fruitnet.com.
'It is especially disappointing from the Netherlands. We have had a wonderful relationship with that country, and they take grapes in huge volumes.
'This has been a real disaster. People are going to go broke, and there have been cases of smaller exporters trying to commit suicide over this.
'We have exhausted all possible options, we've been in meetings with everyone.
'It's the biggest disaster I've been involved with in my 18 years in the industry. The industry can't sustain these losses.'
India usually exports around 3,500-4,000 40ft container loads of grapes to the EU each year.
