Japan to import mangoes
Japan has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian mangoes after two decades.
By Agencies |
NEW DELHI: Japan has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian mangoes after two decades. The decision was taken after Japan confirmed through scientific and technical examination that there was no risk of infiltration of diseases and pests.
According to an official release, the Japanese ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries has formally communicated the decision to the Indian government on Thursday.
China had already cleared import of Indian mangoes. The US, Canada and Australia are also working to modify the sanitary and phyto-sanitary rules to allow import of the tastiest fruit in the world.
India is the world’s biggest mango producer, accounting for nearly half of the global production. The country is also the third largest exporter of mangoes, which makes up 15% of the total fresh fruits export from the country. The government sees a good potential for its mangoes in the US, Canada, Australia and Latin America. The issue of Australia allowing Indian mangoes is also in the final stages.
Commerce & industry minister Kamal Nath said that this was a major step forward in securing access to an important market for a major Indian agricultural product. Mr Nath, who visited Japan last week, first took up the issue of market access for Indian mangoes with the Japanese government in August ‘04, and subsequently during his visit to Tokyo in ‘05 when he invited Japanese quarantine authorities to visit India for on-site tests and inspections.
A Japanese technical team visited India earlier this year. The team was satisfied with the results and agreed to move ahead with the process to lift the ban, thus setting the stage for lifting the 22 year old ban.
The mango varieties that would be exported to Japan are Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa and Malika, which are grown in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
According to an official release, the Japanese ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries has formally communicated the decision to the Indian government on Thursday.
China had already cleared import of Indian mangoes. The US, Canada and Australia are also working to modify the sanitary and phyto-sanitary rules to allow import of the tastiest fruit in the world.
India is the world’s biggest mango producer, accounting for nearly half of the global production. The country is also the third largest exporter of mangoes, which makes up 15% of the total fresh fruits export from the country. The government sees a good potential for its mangoes in the US, Canada, Australia and Latin America. The issue of Australia allowing Indian mangoes is also in the final stages.
Commerce & industry minister Kamal Nath said that this was a major step forward in securing access to an important market for a major Indian agricultural product. Mr Nath, who visited Japan last week, first took up the issue of market access for Indian mangoes with the Japanese government in August ‘04, and subsequently during his visit to Tokyo in ‘05 when he invited Japanese quarantine authorities to visit India for on-site tests and inspections.
A Japanese technical team visited India earlier this year. The team was satisfied with the results and agreed to move ahead with the process to lift the ban, thus setting the stage for lifting the 22 year old ban.
ADVERTISEMENT
The mango varieties that would be exported to Japan are Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa and Malika, which are grown in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Too busy to trade in stocks? Invest in Mutual Funds with ET Money!
Bookmark or read stories offline -
Download ET Markets APP
Download ET Markets APP
ADVERTISEMENT
