- Japan has stopped importing the fruit from India this season after an inspection team found irregularities in production at the country’s facilities.
- Tonnes of Kesar, Alphonso, Langra and Banganapalli are exported to Japan every year since 2006, but this year a ban has been slapped after two decades.
- Every year, before the mango season, Japan sends inspectors to oversee the vapour heat treatment (VHT), a non-chemical quarantine process that keeps mangoes free of pests in hot and humid air. These centres are responsible for disinfecting mangoes before they are exported.
- VHT is a non-chemical process in which mangoes are exposed to controlled hot and humid air conditions to kill pests and fruit fly larvae. The treatment is mandatory under the export agreement between the two countries.
- This year too, a team of quarantine officers from Japan, who were on inspection in Rehmanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in March, found deficiencies in fumigation and related disinfection measures and other lapses in pest-control procedures at Indian treatment facilities, prompting the country to impose a ban on mango imports.
- Yokohama Plant Protection Association, a public-interest organisation in Japan that supports quarantine plans, notified that mango shipments carrying inspection certificates issued by India on or after 25 March this year are not accepted anymore.
- The association further stated that mangoes would only be accepted after operational standards are improved.
- “There is a completely new treatment system to increase the quality of Indian mangoes. If only Japanese-made systems are approved, then it raises questions about monopoly and diplomacy rather than technical compliance”.
Exporters also claimed that Japan wants to have a monopoly in treatment and quality control
First Ban In 20 Years
- Previously, Japan banned Indian mangoes in 1986 over reported fruit fly infestations. That ban was lifted after 20 years, only in 2006 after India strengthened its treatment protocols.
- Now, Japanese authorities have once again raised concerns over whether Indian mango shipments are meeting the country’s strict plant health standards.
- Japan follows a zero-tolerance policy for invasive pests like fruit flies, which are considered a major threat to domestic agriculture.
Unhappy mango exporters
- Japan, a country known for its quality of products, whether it is mangoes or fish. Considering the country’s strict rules, the Indian government opened several VHT plants in India, starting with the Tirupati VHT plant in 2007.
- Since then, India has been exporting mangoes after careful treatment.
- But while Japan is not among the most “important” buyers, exporters are unhappy with the development.
- Although the “Japanese market is not that big”, it is still very relevant, given that this year the domestic market is also facing “trouble and we are losing money”.
- Japan is not India’s biggest mango market, but exporters say the suspension is still a serious setback because of the premium prices Indian mangoes command there.
- Exporters now fear the ban could damage confidence in India’s agricultural quality-control systems and raise concerns among other importing countries as well.
- Farmers complain that they are already facing losses as a result of the ongoing West Asia conflict, with exports recording a 20-30 per cent drop. Exporters complain that the war and the subsequent rise in oil prices have caused significant logistical challenges for exporters.
- The ongoing heatwave is posing yet another challenge for mango growers and exporters.
Top 5 mango exporters
- India produces nearly 28 million metric tonnes of mangoes every year, making it the world’s largest producer. Most of the produce is consumed within the country, but exports to high-end markets like Japan bring significantly higher profits for growers and traders.
- Last year, nearly two million dollars’ worth of mangoes were exported to Japan, especially from Gujarat’s Kesar.
- India’s top five mango exporters are the US, UAE, UK, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, with Malaysia also testing the waters.
- The Indian government has not publicly commented on the ban. However, the president of the Mango Grower Association of India, told that the Centre is already in talks with the Japanese government.