Alphonso wins over Americans in 2 years | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Alphonso wins over Americans in 2 years

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
May 23, 2009 12:56 AM IST

The crop has been bad this year, but exports are growing. It has been that kind of a year for the Alphonso, the most expensive of the about 1,000 varieties of mangoes grown in India.

The crop has been bad this year, but exports are growing.

HT Image
HT Image

It has been that kind of a year for the Alphonso, the most expensive of the about 1,000 varieties of mangoes grown in India.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Americans have especially taken to it.

The Wal-Marts and the Nature’s Prides are lapping up full quotas of Alphonsos. They are even being ordered online.

“We are sending regular shipments,” said an official of DHL, which offers a courier service specifically for mangoes, requesting anonymity.

Mangoes had found their way back to the US last year — after a two-decade ban, over concerns about undue pesticide use, was lifted as part of a deal signed by US President George Bush during his India trip.

The deal was that the US would import Alphonsos if India agree to import Harley Davidson motorcycles.

According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), there has been a 60 per cent growth in the exports of mangoes in spite of a decline in production this year.

“There has been a bad Alphonso crop,” said Pranab Desai, who co-owns Aadarsh Farms, an Alphonso-exporting firm in Gujarat’s Valsad district. “The crop this year has been just 10 per cent.”

Exporting mangoes is a strictly regulated affair. Exporters have to get every mango “gamma irradiated”, a technique for sterilisation or decontamination, as required by US norms. Nasik has the country’s only US-approved gamma irradiation facility.

“Despite this, exporters are sending full quota of 1,500 boxes a day. Each box has a dozen,” Desai said.

The US imported 31.7 tonnes mangoes of various varieties in April, compared with about 20 tonnes in the corresponding month of 2008, according to APEDA estimates.

The Alphonso is said to be palatable to Western tastes because it is less sweet, is softer and lasts longer.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On