Mango diplomacy: Alphonso mango likely to land in Mauritius

PORT LOUIS: India's king of fruits Alphonso mango could soon be available to Mauritians, many of whom have ancestral links with India. The island nation and Indian government have agreed to harmonise norms governing trade of fruits.

Commerce and Industry Ministry Anand Sharma had taken up the issue of Mauritius not allowing import of Indian mangoes with his Mauritius counterpart Sayyad Abd-Al-Cader Sayed Hossen during their discussions on trade issues.

Anand Sharma is in Mauritius to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Economic and Business Conference.

India cannot export its mango to Mauritius as the fruit has not received the sanitary and phyto-sanitary clearance, allowing countries such as Pakistan to have cashed on the situation and have captured large market share.

" APEDA and the Mauritius SPS authority officials will soon meet and work for harmonisation of standards," said an Indian commerce department official.

Sharma also raised the issue of export of basmati rice to the island nation. Shipments have dropped because of certification issues.

Sharma pressed for early conclusion of the agreement for recognition of export inspection and certification system of Export Inspection Council of India for export of basmati rice to Mauritius. The Mauritian minister has assured that there is a broad agreement on the draft and they will soon respond to it.

Basmati rice is a unique Geographical Indication (GI) product under the World Trade Organization (WTO).

India has already nominated the Export Inspection Council as the nodal agency which will issue a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for all basmati rice exports from India to Mauritius.

Sharma also allayed apprehensions of the Mauritius government over the supply of oil to the country.

India's exports to Mauritius comprise largely of petroleum products. India supplies fuel to the country through an agreement between Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius.

The three-year agreement that was first signed in July 2007 is expected to be renewed later this month.

Hossen conveyed that most of the issues regarding renewal of contract with MRPL had been sorted out and the contract was being given the final touches.

( The correspondent was in Port Louis at the invitation of Ficci and Commerce and Industry Ministry)