Japan lifts ban on import of Indian mangoes

NEW DELHI: Indian mangoes will now whet the taste buds of Japanese, with Tokyo on Friday formally lifting the two-decade old ban on import of the king of fruits from here.

Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Friday formally communicated the decision to India regarding the lifting of the ban on import of Indian mangoes, an official release said.

The decision was taken after confirming that there was no risk of infiltration of diseases and pests through previous scientific and technical examinations, it said.

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 per cent of the total fresh fruits export from the country.

India 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. 

Japan's decision comes after Commerce Minister Kamal Nath took up the issue with Japanese farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa in 2004 and again in 2005, when he invited Japanese quarantine authorities to visit India for on-site inspections.

The mango varieties that would be exported to Japan are Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa and Malika, which are grown in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.