Indian fresh produce exporters have reacted with dismay to the news that the EU has banned Indian mango, aubergine, taro and bitter and snake gourd imports after finding “significant shortcomings” in the country’s phytosanitary certification system.
One Indian mango shipper said he was “shocked” by the ban, announced on 26 March and set to take effect from May this year then reviewed by December 2015.
The exporter said APEDA, India’s fresh produce export body, had been offering shippers seminars on EU quarantine rules, and that exporters were consequently being pro-active in the control of pest infestation.
He added that earlier this month Apeda had also introduced a new export protocol, whereby shippers could only use Apeda-approved packhouses if they wished to export produce to Europe.
“I believe our government is taking all the necessary actions to reduce the occurrences of interceptions,” said the mango exporter. “The EU now needs to show some trust in the Indian government to make the trade happen between the two.”
The EU ban comes after pests not native to the EU were found in 207 consignments of fresh fruits and vegetables from India during 2013.
A spokesperson for the European commission told Fruitnet: “This decision had to be taken due to a high number of such consignments being intercepted at arrival in the EU with quarantine pests, mainly insects, like non-European fruit flies.”
Commenting on the ban, the UK Environment Minister Lord de Mauley said:“India is a key trading partner and these temporary restrictions affect a tiny percentage of the successful business we conduct with them.
“We are working closely with our Indian and European counterparts to resolve the issue and resume trade in these select products as soon as possible.
“These restrictions are important to protect our home-grown salad crops from potential pests and diseases.”
