The British parliament has held a debate on the ban on import of mangoes from India with the country's senior most Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz appealing to fellow lawmakers to reverse the ban.
Vaz, the Leicester East MP, who has been campaigning against the EU ban on behalf of his constituents, had tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons which was debated last evening.
"DEFRA's (Department for Environment, Foods & Rural Affairs) view that these mangoes can simply be replaced by another import is wrong. The extra sweet taste makes this versatile fruit a key component of a range of dishes including mango pulp, ice cream juices, smoothies and many others," Vaz told his parliamentary colleagues and a representative of DEFRA.
"The UK is the mango's true home in the EU as we are the largest importer of the fruit. In 2013 we consumed well over 56,000 metric tons (MT) of mangoes, 4,800 MT from India, this is 12 million mangoes; equivalent in weight as 800 elephants.
"The ban will have a hugely damaging impact on our food industry with many businesses set to loose millions of pounds a year...And it will be particularly detrimental to the 1.4 million British Indians living in the UK," he added.
The EU's "temporary ban", supported by DEFRA, came into force on May 1 and will remain effective until December 2015 after authorities in Brussels found consignments infested with fruit flies that they fear could damage European salad crops.
Vaz's EDM, which is launched on issues of importance in the Commons, came a day after he raised the topic during Prime Minister's Questions in the House on Wednesday.
British PM David Cameron had admitted it was a "serious issue" in his response.
"But I understand how strongly he (Vaz) feels and how strongly the Indian community in this country feels and indeed I look forward to discussing it with the new Indian prime minister," he had told parliament.
During the debate yesterday, Vaz told his fellow MPs the ban had come as a complete "surprise" to Indian government officials and agriculture professionals.
He also pointed out that UK retailers and importers have been receiving mangoes that have been treated and gone through government-approved certification processes and procedures for many months.
Vaz urged MPs to back the "Reverse the Mango Ban" campaign, appealing for British government intervention as quickly as possible before the 10-week mango season runs out in India.
"Yes, Leicester is the mango capital of Britain and retailers have told me they will face critical losses and this situation will be repeated in other cities and towns across the UK," Vaz warned.
