India raises issue with EU, alleges 'unilateral action'

The FIEO says though 20% of mango exports are shipped to the EU, it will be difficult for exporters to find an alternative

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has apparently raised the issue of the European Union (EU) imposing a ban on Alphonso mangoes and some vegetables with his European counterpart Karel de Gucht.

He said on Wednesday it was a "unilateral action" and the ban be lifted with "immediate effect."

A commerce department official said, "Sharma had raised the matter with him."

According to officials in the ministry, though the government was alerted in March a ban was likely, there were no signs it would be from May 1 till December 2015.

The officials see the move as retaliation against India stopping some consignments of European chocolates, cheese and wine a year ago.

Sunil Prasad, secretary-general of Brussels-based Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC), said, "This is a childish move. It is baseless. Some member states are unhappy with the move. There are fears mangoes from Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia and Africa, which also do not meet all sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements, will now flood the European markets."

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) says though 20 per cent of mango exports are shipped to the EU, it will be difficult for exporters to find an alternative.

Ajay Sahai, director-general, said, "They did alert us about the impending ban but the time frame would be so long nobody had expected. When the authorities in Brussels were contemplating such as measure, the officials here also were engaged in talks with them to shorten the period."

Sahai added India did meet 80 per cent of the quality standards prescribed by the EU.

The US had imposed a similar ban on Indian mangoes in 1989, lifted in 2007.