The US authorities have abandoned at least 15 shipments of Indian mangoes due to alleged lapses in the documentation process while exporting, according to a report published by The Economic Times. The fruit was rejected upon arrival in the US, India’s largest mango export market.
After the rejection at airports including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta, the authorities asked exporters either to destroy the cargo or re-export it to India. Hence, exporters chose to discard mangoes due to its perishable nature and high transporting cost, the report said.
The official attributed the decision to alleged discrepancies in the documentation related to the irradiation process, which is a mandatory treatment that treats fruits with carefully measured doses of radiation to kill pests and increase their shelf life. These mango cargoes went under irradiation process in Mumbai on May 8 and 9, it added.
Due to this, exporters told ET that they will bear an estimated loss of about $500,000. They have also expressed concerns over rejection, and clarified that the irradiation process was done at a facility in Navi Mumbai under the supervision of a US department of agriculture (USDA) officer.
“We are being penalised for mistakes made at the irradiation facility,” an exporter told the news publication. Following this, the US government stated that it won’t incur “remedial measures for this shipment”, the notification sent by USDA to one of the exporters read.
The office of the chairman of the Agricultural Processes Food Products Authority, as quoted by ET, responded to this matter and said, “The matter pertains to the shipment of mangoes from USDA approved facility, Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) located at Vashi, Mumbai. Hence inputs may be sought from them.”
India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, growing more than 1,000 distinct varieties. It contributes a staggering 43% of global mango production—more than the next four producers combined.
