Season’s first consignment of Alphonso and Kesar mangoes reach Japan and America

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Pune: The Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board has successfully exported the first consignments of mangoes to Japan and America. The mangoes were produced in the state and underwent necessary treatments at the state-of-the-art facilities of the Agricultural Marketing Board to meet the stringent import requirements of these developed countries.

Deepak Shinde, the Executive Director of the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board, stated that the first mango consignment was sent to Japan on April 8, and another consignment was shipped to America on April 11. A total of 1.1 metric tons of Saffron and Baiganpalli mangoes were exported to Japan from the Vapor Heat Treatment Facility at Vashi, Navi Mumbai on April 8. Similarly, on April 11, 6.5 metric tons of hapus, saffron, and baganpalli mangoes were exported to America from the Mandal’s radiation facility at Vashi.

To ensure the quality and safety of the exported mangoes, the Agricultural Marketing Board has set up modern export-oriented facilities which has vegetable processing centers, and vapor heat treatment facilities at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, in accordance with international standards. These facilities comply with the import requirements of countries like Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, European countries, Russia, USA, Australia, Malaysia, and Argentina.

For mangoes to be exported to Japan, vapor heat treatment is mandatory to eliminate the infestation of fruit flies. The state-of-the-art vapor heat treatment facility of Krishi Panan Mandal (Agriculture Marketing Board) has been instrumental in meeting this requirement, and Japan has allowed the import of mangoes without sending their inspectors since the mango season of 2022. The processing and validation of the process are done under the guidance of the inspectors of the NPPO department of the central government.

Similarly, for mangoes to be exported to the USA, Australia, Malaysia, and Argentina, irradiation process is mandatory to kill coccidis and insects. The irradiation facility at Vashi, established in collaboration with the National Agricultural Development Scheme and APEDA, has been crucial in meeting this requirement. Cobalt-60 beams are used for irradiation, and the process is heat and chemical-free, ensuring no changes in the basic properties of the mangoes.

The certification from NPPO, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, and USDA-AFIS were obtained for these facilities, completing the necessary requirements for export to these countries. US inspectors are physically present during the radiation processing at the facility, ensuring compliance with US import regulations.

The first consignment of mangoes for America was sent off on April 11, in the presence of Deepak Shinde, Executive Director of Agriculture Marketing Board, along with US inspector Elifrido Marin (Freddy), N. P. P. O. Plat Protection Officer Dr. Venkata Reddy, Mrs. Pranita Chaure of APEDA, and representatives of exporters. Last year, the export of mangoes to the US was successfully piloted by sea, and efforts are underway to commercially export mangoes by sea in the mango season of 2023.
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All mango facilities of agricultural marketong board are connected with registered farmers and packhouses through a computer system called Magonet, ensuring assurance to the importers about the quality of mangoes and helping to increase exports. Dr. Bhaskar Patil, Deputy General Manager of Agriculture Marketing Board, and NPPO officer for this consignment, along with other officers, have made special efforts in facilitating the export of mangoes to these developed countries.

Mrunal Jadhav