EU bans ‘king of fruits’ imports from May 1

Following 207 consignments of fruits and vegetables received during 2013 were found contaminated by pests like fruit flies and other quarantine pests, the EU committee on plant health has decided to ban ‘temporarily’. It banned, besides mangos, eggplant, the taro plant, bitter gourd and snake gourd.

It prohibits the import of these to tackle the "significant shortcomings in the phytosanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU".

Though the prohibited commodities represent less than 5 per cent of the total fresh fruits and vegetables imported into the EU from India, the potential introduction of new pests could pose a threat to EU agriculture and production, the committee noted. UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that is backing the ban said it was necessary due to pests which could threaten the country's 321 million pound salad crop industry of tomato and cucumber.

The UK imports nearly 16 million mangoes from India and the market for the fruit is worth nearly 6 million pounds a year.

A revision of the ban will take place before December 31, 2015. Businesses claimed they will lose hundreds of thousands of pounds due to the ban. Wholesalers and retailers in Indian-dominated regions of the UK have opposed the ban, which comes into effect on May 1, saying it will hit them hard.

"This is Euro-nonsense and bureaucracy gone mad. Indian mangoes have been imported to Britain for centuries. I am furious with the lack of consultation with those who will be affected by the ban," said Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, who has written to the European Commission president.

UK's environment minister Lord de Mauley also waded into the controversy, stressing that his department is working on lifting the ban as soon as possible.

"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," he said.

Meanwhile, an e-petition titled 'Reverse Mango Import Ban' has gathered hundreds of signatures over its warning that: "The ban will severely impact importers and distributors in the UK and for some it will render their entire trade unfeasible.

"The ban has been undertaken hastily. Proven treatments have not been considered before an outright ban e.G. Hot water treatment, irradiation which is approved for import into the USA and vapour heat treatments," adds the petition created by Monica Bhandari, who runs the London-based Fruity Fresh (Western) Limited import firm.