The US authorities have rejected at least 15 shipments of mangoes from India, citing lapses in the documentation process while exporting, media reported on Sunday.
Considering mangoes are perishable and the substantial expenses linked to destruction or re-exportation, traders anticipate losses of around $500,000.
The fruit was exported by air and was rejected upon arrival in the US. The affected shipments had undergone irradiation in Mumbai on May 8 and 9, but were turned away at airports including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. The US is India’s largest export market for mangoes.
Irradiation is a mandatory treatment that exposes a fruit to controlled doses of radiation to eliminate pests and extend shelf life.
The exporters were asked to either destroy the cargo or re-export it to India and they chose to discard the mangoes due to its perishable nature and high cost of transporting it back to India.
The Indian exporters firmly denied the allegation, asserting that the irradiation procedure was completed.
