After having lifted the ban on the import of Alphonso mangoes from India on Tuesday, the European Union may soon also allow import of four other vegetables — bitter gourd (karela), brinjal (baigan), snake gourd (chichinda) and taro (arbi) — from the country. These vegetables were not allowed to enter European nations last year on account of the alleged “shortcomings” in the certification system for such products.
The 28-member EU has now given an assurance to India that after mangoes, a similar ban on four vegetables may also go, according to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry (Independent charge) Nirmala Sitharaman. A visiting EU Minister Vince Cable who met Sitharaman this week conveyed the EU’s intent.
lifting of the ban will bring relief to vegetable exporters who had to look at other foreign markets to sell their produce at lower prices.
The prices of mangoes too had come down in the domestic market after the EU ban in April, last year.
A team of the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office visited India in September to inspect pack houses and verify improvement in plant health controls and certification system of mangoes. Subsequent to their filing a positive report on the improvement of certification and good health of exports, the ban on mangoes was lifted on Tuesday but the ban on four vegetables has stayed.
The UK imports nearly 16 million mangoes from India worth nearly 6 million pounds a year. It backed the lifting of the ban on Indian-exported fruits and vegetable products.