KOLKATA: If you are planning to travel to Europe in the next few months, there is something sweet in store for you. From London to Paris and Amsterdam, department stores will have mangoes from Bengal, with the delicacy making rapid inroads into European markets this year.
With Bangladesh raising the import duty on mangoes from 10% to 50%, the produce from Bengal — a bumper crop in 2017 — has found its way into European markets in an organized manner for the first time.
Bengal food processing secretary Nandini Chakraborty said mangoes from the state are being exported to the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. "We are doing this in association with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The response is very good," she added.
The export body's DGM, R K Mondal, confirmed that for the first time, mangoes from Bengal were being exported to Europe in such an organized manner and with the Bengal Mango branding. "There might have been private exports to Europe, but this year we are doing it in bulk and in an organized manner. From now, we want to create a proper Bengal Mango branding," he said.
APEDA is the nodal agency for export of fruits and vegetables from India.
Chakraborty said Bengal could set new records in mango exports this year. As of now, the total export to Europe and the Middle East is 25.54 tonnes. The figure looks set to cross the 100-tonne mark.
Chakraborty said: "There is already a 40% jump in exports this year. The mango season is still not over, we are expecting more. Only Himsagar and some other varieties have been exported till now. The Langra season has just started, the export of Langra will commence soon."
Chakraborty said Himsagar — the mango variety with a GI (geographical indication) tag — is the topper in the export list so far. "It accounted for the bulk of exports," she added. Elaborating on the success recipe, she added that the European market has very stringent quality standards. "We tried our best to maintain European specifications," she said.
While hot-water treatment of mangoes is required in the European Union, radiation treatment is necessary for Japan. "There were some small facilities for hot-water treatment in the state, mostly in private hands. We have set up a packing house in Malda with hot-water treatment facility," Chakraborty said.
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority DGM R K Mondal felt Lakshmanbhog, a Bengal variety, also has huge export potential.
Source: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
