Australia opens doors to Kesar mango exporters

Australian authority revises protocol to allow Indian irradiated mango, okays two treatment units

This season, exporters from Gujarat and Maharashtra, two major mango growing states, are eyeing the market in Australia.

So far, a few consignments if mango were being exported to Australia from southern states but the volume was low. In the past fortnight, however, three consignments of five tonnes have been shipped there from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Australia had earlier not allowed mangoes from these two states, as they did not have standard radiation systems, a requirement for fruit export. However, a delegation visited a radiation plant in Maharashtra last year and the Australian Biosecurity Import Conditions (Bicon) authority recently revised its protocol to allow Indian irradiated mango. It has okayed irradiation facility centres at Vashi in Navi Mumbai and Krushak at Lasalgoan (near Nashik).

"Earlier, Kesar exports were not feasible as this variety grows priamarily in Gujarat and adjoining Maharashtra. The recent move by the Bicon authority has opened this market. This, however, is the beginning and it is difficult to predict volumes," said Sudhanshu Sankhiadhar, deputy general manager at the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).

Total export of mango from India was 46,000 tonnes in 2016-17, up from 36,329 tonnes in 2015-16.

Demand for Kesar mostly comes from West Asia, Canada, Britain and America. With Australia, the markets of China and South Korea also get opened. "We have already received several inquiries for Kesar mango this season. We will export about 1,200 kg by next week from Mumbai airport. Kesar is the most popular variety of mango after Alphonso worldwide," said Abhijeet Bhosale, managing director of Pune-based Rainbow International.

Gujarat is the Kesart variety's home. Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Somnath and Kutch are the Kesar growing districts in the state, which produces about 230,000 tonnes a year. The 'Gir Kesar' mango of Junagadh has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, only the second variety of mango in India to get this, the other being the Dussehri of Uttar Pradesh.