Letters: Mango mantra

This refers to the editorial "Mango ban" (May 5). The ban imposed by the European Union (EU) on the import of Indian mangoes, especially the Alphonso, has come as a blessing for middle-class consumers. Every mango season, the hapless consumers have to spend a fortune to get good variety of mangoes. The price per dozen shoots up to the range of Rs 1,200 to 1,500. This season, the "aam aadmi" is happy that he will be able to afford quality "aam" at half the price, thanks to the ban. The mango lobby harvests a bumper profit each season at the cost of the domestic consumers. It is time the government machinery introduces a system to regulate the prices of these exotic variety of mangoes and ensure their availability in the local markets. We should definitely encourage the export of quality Indian fruit and vegetables, which will benefit farmers as well as our foreign exchange kitty. But the government should not entice its tax-paying citizens to consume export-reject fruits at an affordable price.

Ravindran Menon Pune

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