Mango export to the US up by 133%, record 765 metric tonnes sent over.

Nashik: The country has registered a 133.38% growth in the export of mangoes to the US this season as compared to amount sent last year.

India exported 765.5 metric tonnes (MT) of mangoes to the US during the season that ended last week as against 328 MT in 2015. Mangoes were processed at the irradiation centres in Lasalgaon in Nashik district, Vasai (Mumbai) and Bengaluru. Of the total mangoes exported to US, around 90% (567 MT) were processed at the Lasalgaon centre, which is owned by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Altogether 190 MT mangoes were processed at the Vashi centre of the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB), while the Bengaluru centre processed 8.5 MT. Different varieties of mangoes, including alphonso and kesar were processed at these centres.

An official of the Vasai-based Argosurg Irradiators, which commercially operates the centre at Lasalgaon, said, "As per norms, it is mandatory to irradiate mangoes before exporting them to the US. The fruit is processed in the presence of a quarantine officer from the US. The quality of mangoes was better this season. With the season having ended, we have started processing onions as well."

"Last year, Lasalgaon was the lone irradiation centre in the country that processed mangoes for export to the US. But the two irradiation centres at Vashi and Bengaluru also started operations this year," the official added.

S Chavan of the MSAMB said, "We set up a new irradiation centre at Vashi in April. This was the first year of our operation and we decided to go slow. Besides mangoes, pomegranates also got access to the US market this year. We processed 1.25 MT pomegranates for export to the US, which was the first consignment. We are making efforts to increase processing of both mangoes and pomegranates."

In 2002, BARC set up the irradiation centre at Lasalgaon, around 70km from here. Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee dedicated the centre to the nation on October 31, 2002.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com