By Syed Khaled Shahbaaz, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The ban on import of certain Indian vegetables and fruits into the European Union, a group of 28 nations, will be in effect from 1 May. The ban announced in March triggered unrest among the Indian community in Europe raising bilateral trade concerns between India and the Union. The EU banned Alphonso, known as the King of Mangoes and one of the most favourite species of the fruit.
It also banned four vegetables including Eggplant, Taro Plant, Bitter Gourd and Snake Gourd. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICC) President Sidharth Birla termed the EU’s decision to ban the fruit as an ‘unfortunate development’ that represented ‘punitive’ stance of the EU.
The EU’s Standing Committee on Plant Health has alleged that the banned fruits fall short of sanitary certification and hygiene as 207 consignments bearing these fruits and vegetables where reportedly contaminated with pests and fruit flies.
Mr. Birla said that these could be isolated cases, and diplomatic talk would have been a better solution to solve the issue. “The entire ecosystem for exports in India is well geared to meet the quality and safety requirements of countries across the world. Our farmers, packers and exporters supply agri-commodities to different countries.
“There may have been a few isolated cases in the past, but the way to deal with such a situation is through a discussion. What we have got now is a punitive solution that does not bode well for the larger economic relations between the two sides, he added.
It may however be noted that this ban is temporary. The United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) expressed apprehension that these contaminated imports posed a threat to the agriculture and production in European Union. The Indian farmers and traders who account for export of 16 million mangoes are likely to be the worst hit. A decision or revision of EU’s ban is datelined for December 31, 2015.
Meanwhile, Ajay Sahai, Director General of Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) said that India had asked the European Union to lift the ban after “an elaborate examination and certification procedure that addresses the issue raised by EU” was deliberately exercised.