Vikram Mukka By

This year, mango-lovers might be delighted at the fact that the prices of the ‘king of fruits’ will not shoot up but they have to put up with the sub-standard quality of the fruit.

The recent decision of the European Union to impose a ban on the import of Indian mangoes in addition to some vegetables, citing the presence of pests and insects in the consignments of mangoes, will result in availability of mangoes in abundance in domestic markets. Consequently, with the rise in supply, the prices will naturally go down.

It may be recalled that on March 26 the European Union Standing Committee on Plant Health slapped a ban on Indian mangoes after it had allegedly found pests in 207 consignments of fresh produce imported from India last year.

In exporting mangoes, Andhra Pradesh stands second after Maharashtra among the mango-producing states in the country. Of all the varieties, the Banginapalli variety has a good acceptance in the international market.

The only alternative option to farmers and traders alike is to sell them off in the domestic market at a lower price. “One cannot tell certainly whether the prices in the domestic market will shoot up or not, but there is no possibility of prices rising,” said Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority member B Madhav Reddy.

The produce required for exports should be of high quality that requires great efforts by the farmers, but there is also a risk factor involved here. “To get the kind of quality accepted in the Europe, a farmer has to pluck about half of the fruits at the flowering stage. This naturally reduces the produce and he can get good profit only if it is accepted overseas. But, with this kind of international issues, a farmer is always at a risk,” he observed.

The health standards of Europeans far higher than those of Indians, says commissioner of horticulture M Papi Reddy. “No doubt, the residual levels of pesticides in our mangoes are higher than what is preferred in Europe and in other countries. In a country like India, everything sells and there cannot be any comparison with Europe,” he adds with a chuckle.