Too much of a good thing is never too good! A European Union (EU) ban on Indian mangoes is proving to be a sweet deal for consumers but a bitter one for the farmers. Markets are flooded with Alphonso mangoes, which are now available in excess in the market. It has led to a drastic drop in the prices (by about 40%) of these mangoes. Loss of export market has come as another shock, when farmers across Maharashtra are already grappling with crop failure because of unseasonal rain and hailstorms in the month of March.
However, experts claim that the ban in the European Union may only have a limited impact on India’s export market and could be momentary as the export of Indian mangoes and vegetables to EU in terms of value is only around 10% and runs into only a few hundred crores.
On the other hand, the ban on Indian mangoes may quite badly affect their image in other countries, like the U.S., which saw a record export from India, of about 500 tons last year.
India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, grows about 15 million tons of the fruit, roughly 40% of the global production. According to the Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, of the 55,600 metric tons of mangoes exported by India in 2012-2013, worth $44 million, only about 3,890 metric tons went to countries of the European Union. The ban over two mango seasons would mean losses of up to $10 million for Maharashtra farmers.
On the brigher side, Indians are dining on some of the world's most succulent mangoes after the European Union banned imports of the fruit from India this month.
The European Union on 26th March imposed a ban on Indian mangoes and other vegetables (egg plants and gourds) from 1st May, due to issues over pesticides found in them last year.
Did you know that every year the International Mango Festival is held in Delhi, where different varieties of mango are on display.
Photo by gettyimages
