EU to audit Indian mango operations in September.

An English political campaign aimed at getting the European Union’s ban on Indian mangoes overturned looks unlikely to bear fruit this season.

In a statement from Leicester MP Keith Vaz, who has been leading the political charge to reverse the ban, he has confirmed that nothing can be done this summer, despite efforts to salvage what is left of the 10-week mango season.

Previously he had vowed to fight the ban by raising the issue in an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons and persuaded British Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss the issue with India’s incoming new leader Narendra Modi.

However, the latest information reveals the EU will be auditing the situation, but not until September.

Vaz spoke with Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science, on May 21 to ask for an update on the efforts being made by the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to lift the ban.

De Mauley represents the Conservative Party in the U.K.’s House of Lords, the second chamber of the British government.

“I was very pleased to hear from the Minister (Mauley) that action is finally being taken to try to overturn the EU ban on the importation of Alphonso mangoes. Lord de Mauley informed me that the EU is planning to send an audit to India in September this year,” Vaz said in a statement given to www.freshfruitportal.com.

“While this is good news, it is clear that the ban will not be lifted before the end of this mango season. We sincerely hope that it will be overturned in time for next season before it can again be allowed to have a disastrous impact on people’s livelihoods.

“I am going to arrange a meeting with the UK’s Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) and urge them to go to India to give support in meeting the guidelines set out by the EU.”

Vaz said Britain was India’s “best friend” and wanted to do everything it could to help improve the situation.

From May 1, imports of five categories – mango, two types of gourd, eggplant and the taro plant – were prohibited from India to the EU amid concerns over fruit fly contaminations.

Last year, 207 consignments of fresh produce from India were said to have breached pest controls levels, leading to a complete ban that is due to last until December 2015.

This means scores of importers across the U.K. will suffer financial losses this season because they can’t supply the Alphonso variety to British-Indian communities who usually buy the fruit throughout May and June, in particular to celebrate the festivals of Eid and Diwali.

Indian mango growers are also losing out as they are forced to sell the glut of mangoes at cut-price to the domestic market.

We also asked Lord De Mauley to explain his stand point on this issue.

“India is a key trading partner and these temporary restrictions percentage of the successful business we conduct with them,” De Mauley said in a statement.

“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.

“These restrictions are important to protect our home-grown salad crops from potential pests and diseases.”

Source : freshfruitportal.com