Japan lifts 20-year ban on Indian mango imports

Japan has formally lifted a 20 year ban on import of Indian mangoes.

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has communicated this decision to the Indian government, an official release said.

"Japan has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian mangoes in Japan on June 23, 2006 on the basis of the request by the Indian side, after confirming that there is no risk of infiltration of diseases and pests through previous scientific and technical examinations; and also getting acceptance through procedures like public hearing, public comments," the Japanese Agriculture Ministry said in its communication to the Indian government.

The mango varieties that will now be imported by Japan would be Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa and Malika which are grown in pre-identified areas of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, according to the communication from Japan.

Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath welcomed the move and said it marked a major step forward in securing access to an important market for a major Indian agricultural product.

Nath had sought lifting of the ban during his visit to Japan last week. The minister first took up the issue of market access for Indian mangoes with Mr. Nakagawa, the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in August 2004, and subsequently again during his visit to Tokyo in 2005, when he invited Japanese quarantine authorities to visit India for on-site tests and inspections.

A Japanese technical team visited India earlier this year. The team was satisfied with the results and agreed to move ahead with the process to lift the ban, thus setting the stage for lifting the twenty-year-old ban.

Japan had imposed a ban on the import of Indian mangoes in 1986 because of suspected pest infestation by fruit flies.